Alana Estelle

Palladian by, Elizabeth Taylor is a Jane Eyre-esque novel. For those who don’t know, Jane Eyre is my favorite novel of all time and anything that is reminiscent of it in anyway, I want to read. Cassandra Dashwood (also an ode to Jane Austen with that name…) goes to Cropthorne Manor (get it? Thornhall…) after the death of her father to serve as a governess for Sophy. She quickly falls for her employer, the reserved and melancholy Mr. Marion Vanbrugh. The novel also explores the other dysfunctional characters, who are Marion’s relations.

Taylor does not hide that fact that Palladian is a retelling of Jane Eyre. “She knew the Jane Eyre had answered up better than that to her Mr. Rochester.” She uses this as an element in the story - it’s as if the reader is getting a novel within a novel, as Cassandra is aware that her life is paralleling Jane’s.

“Don’t you think truth is stranger than fiction, Miss Dashwood?” 

Taylor weaves this idea of truth versus fiction throughout the narrative and even though Cassandra’s life is much like Jane’s, there’s more realism in Cassandra’s story. Yes, life can seem unreal at times, but there is often a sense of disillusionment as if something is missing. Even though Cassandra falls in love with Marion, there is something “flat” about the development of this relationship.

“The scene somehow missed being quite so idyllic as it would have looked as the tail-piece of an old-fashioned love-story.” 

Palladian also reminded me of Rebecca by, Daphne du Maurier and I have a strong feeling Taylor read Rebecca, as Palladian was published in 1946, eight years after Rebecca. Marion is a widow, his wife Violet passed away several years ago. Her presence lingers in the house and her memory is idealized, painting a glorified  picture of Violet that may not be accurate. In Palladian, there is a lot of discussion about those who have passed away and how memory and nostalgia recreate the identities of former loved ones. 

“But soon, out of her bones will grow the new picture of her, more beautiful, more romantic… than ever in life, always loving, never angry, never guilty.”

“The dead cannot be answered back, the last word is always theirs.”

One thing that really stood out to me in this novel was the repeated references to the colors blue and green - it’s so obvious that it’s hard to ignore that Taylor uses these colors as symbolism fo something. I’ve been trying figure out what these colors represent, but it’s escaping me and I may have to eventually reread this novel for it to “click.”

“…the light that filtered in was greenish, so that the ceiling had a green pallor and the marble fireplace reflected green and the man who leant his elbow on the mantlepiece had the same greenish tinge upon his face and hands.”

Elizabeth Taylor’s writing style is difficult to describe; it’s descriptive yet simple. It’s not overly flowery but it is evocative. Her writing can be elusive and her characters can seem a bit cryptic. She gives  just enough for the reader to fill in the blanks. I don’t think it’s a bad thing that Taylor’s writing is illusive at times, it actually makes reading her interesting because there is a lot to unpack and even though this is a short novel, multiple reads would help to reveal subtle details that are easy to bypass. Also, she writes sentences like this:

Rating: 3.5/5. 

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These books have something in common - they all have buildings that can also be considered characters. These places are so atmospheric, or referred to so often, that they play a pivotal role in setting the mood of the entire story. 

Jane Eyre, Jamaica Inn and Rebecca are predominately set in these old, dark, gothic buildings or estates that seem to breathe. The halls creak, the walls feel as if they are watching you and you never know what is lurking around the corner. The main characters also interact with these places as if they are a person. For example, Jane Eyre forms such an attachment to Thornfield Hall that she grows to love the place and what it represents, even though there’s something “off” that she can’t quite put her finger on. Manderly, is permeated with the essence of Rebecca, Mr. de Winter’s dead wife, and it seems as if the whole estate is Rebecca. In Jamaica Inn (probably the creepiest in this line up), the Inn is so desolate, dark, cold and dreary that the building seems to be an extension of Mary Yellan’s sketchy uncle. I love it when an author does this - it creates more depth to the narrative. 

Howards End, The House at Riverton and The Priory feature family estates that help to evoke a sense of nostalgia in the story. The characters refer back to these places as something constant and comforting, in the midst of uncertainty and chaos. Yet, at the same time, the subtle changes in the physical homes that take place over time also remind them that change is inevitable, regardless of how much one tries to hold on to a past that was seemingly less complicated and more care-free. This really makes me think back to childhood and how we tend to attached strong feelings towards a place because it is associated with happy childhood memories, yet when we revisit them in adulthood we feel a bit let down, “Was it always so small?” “It seems to be falling apart now…” “Remember when we played hide-in-seek over there?” One becomes wistful, reminiscent, and even a bit pensive.

Are there and books you can think of that also use this device, in which a building can be seen as an active character in a narrative? Is there a place from you childhood that evokes strong memories and feelings?

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