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Parade's End #1-2
Some Do Not ... & No More Parades
With his acclaimed masterpiece Parade's End, Ford Madox Ford set himself a work of immense scale and "I wanted the Novelist in fact to appear in his really proud position as historian of his own time... The 'subject' was the world as it culminated in the war." Published in four parts between 1924 and 1928, his extraordinary novel centers on Christopher Tietjens, an officer and a gentleman -- "the last English Tory"--and follows him from the secure, orderly world of Edwardian England into the chaotic madness of the First World War. Against the backdrop of a world at war, Ford recounts the complex sexual warfare between Tietjens and his faithless wife, Sylvia. A work of truly amazing subtlety and profundity, Parade's End affirms Graham Greene's "There is no novelist of this century more likely to live than Ford Madox Ford."
327 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1924
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437 people want to read
About the author
Ford Madox Ford
468 books372 followersFord Madox Ford was an English novelist, poet, critic and editor whose journals The English Review and The Transatlantic Review were important in the development of early 20th-century English and American literature.
Ford is now remembered for his novels The Good Soldier (1915), the Parade's End tetralogy (1924–1928) and The Fifth Queen trilogy (1906–1908). The Good Soldier is frequently included among the great literature of the 20th century, including the Modern Library 100 Best Novels, The Observer′s "100 Greatest Novels of All Time", and The Guardian′s "1000 novels everyone must read".
Ford is now remembered for his novels The Good Soldier (1915), the Parade's End tetralogy (1924–1928) and The Fifth Queen trilogy (1906–1908). The Good Soldier is frequently included among the great literature of the 20th century, including the Modern Library 100 Best Novels, The Observer′s "100 Greatest Novels of All Time", and The Guardian′s "1000 novels everyone must read".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews
September 29, 2014
Upon reading this, the first novel in Ford Madox Ford’s tetralogy Parade’s End, I realized that far too many of my vital energies are dissipated in the observation and contemplation of boobs and asses. Not that Ford addresses this issue at any great length in Some Do Not…, but one character is described as having very little “sex instinct”, as a kind of compliment in that it allows her to engage in more fruitful activities unburdened by sexual politics and maneuverings. Ford of course did not have in mind the concept of a man’s wandering eye – I made that link myself – but there is some congruence in the two concepts, and so I learned a lesson; and so far, 3 ½ hours into the lesson, I am doing quite well in my resolution to not look down women’s shirts as they ride hunched over past me on bicycles, or to hustle through Don’t Walk signs so to keep abreast of the nice ass ahead of me.
Now follows a dull synopsis:
This is the story of brilliant and enigmatic Christopher Tietjens as told in the context of his disintegrating marriage and his experience in WWI. ‘Chrissie’ during the first stages of the war works, as Ford himself did, for England’s propaganda office compiling statistics, and usually fudging or slanting them, in order to generate more support for the war and to make the enemies seem nastier. He has a brilliant head for such things, and so excels at the task, even as he ethically disapproves. But then he is called to the front, and goes only to return with his clear-headedness and memory impaired after suffering an injury. After a socially complicated respite he is called up again for a ‘big push’, and so returns to the front.
Though the war figures prominently in the narrative, there are no scenes set on the front, so the war remains just beyond the horizon even as it can be felt maliciously creeping toward England. Ford’s preoccupation is with how the war affects the homefront, as that is where the long term damage occurs, transforming the consciousness and the society in unsavory, or simply unanticipated, ways, as powers readjust and old ways of living crumble. One bit of fall-out is the partial erosion (seemingly) of Tietjens’ friendship with his mate Vincent Macmaster, who is revealed as a somewhat unscrupulous opportunist.
Much of the narrative revolves, in an unspoken way, around the notions of what it means to be a Tory and/or a Whig. Tietjens (the stand-in for Ford while at the same time a portrait of one of Ford’s great friends) being the Tory and Macmaster the Whig, which I will not go into as I don’t yet know the key differences between them, other than that Tories are roughly Republican and Whigs Democrat, though in the cultural landscape of the UK these distinctions seem to encompass much more than just political ideologies.
Now back to things more personal:
I have been on quite a FMF kick lately and only slowly am I realizing why he stimulates my vital energies so. Why you ask? Because he not only tells a great story, albeit in fractured ways, but he does so with such off-handed style and beauty. There is no sweaty straining after effect, with sentences reeking of some literary locker room or gym, but just an easy flow with a skillful complexity content to slip past unnoticed; so in a sense there’s a humility to his work, though definitely no stooping. And, and this is the clincher for me, his methods add up to a complete portrait of a singly unique mind as it plays across themes and concepts and landscapes, with a style mirroring the way minds (at least my mind) actually work, with a simultaneity of fluid conjunctions between various time-frames and scenes both in front of one’s face and in one’s memory. Ford Madox Ford is a writer to savor and to return to again and again, and even though this frumpy walrus' prose is as sexy as any co-ed's curves, it can be read without fear of dissipating one’s vital energies.
Now follows a dull synopsis:
This is the story of brilliant and enigmatic Christopher Tietjens as told in the context of his disintegrating marriage and his experience in WWI. ‘Chrissie’ during the first stages of the war works, as Ford himself did, for England’s propaganda office compiling statistics, and usually fudging or slanting them, in order to generate more support for the war and to make the enemies seem nastier. He has a brilliant head for such things, and so excels at the task, even as he ethically disapproves. But then he is called to the front, and goes only to return with his clear-headedness and memory impaired after suffering an injury. After a socially complicated respite he is called up again for a ‘big push’, and so returns to the front.
Though the war figures prominently in the narrative, there are no scenes set on the front, so the war remains just beyond the horizon even as it can be felt maliciously creeping toward England. Ford’s preoccupation is with how the war affects the homefront, as that is where the long term damage occurs, transforming the consciousness and the society in unsavory, or simply unanticipated, ways, as powers readjust and old ways of living crumble. One bit of fall-out is the partial erosion (seemingly) of Tietjens’ friendship with his mate Vincent Macmaster, who is revealed as a somewhat unscrupulous opportunist.
Much of the narrative revolves, in an unspoken way, around the notions of what it means to be a Tory and/or a Whig. Tietjens (the stand-in for Ford while at the same time a portrait of one of Ford’s great friends) being the Tory and Macmaster the Whig, which I will not go into as I don’t yet know the key differences between them, other than that Tories are roughly Republican and Whigs Democrat, though in the cultural landscape of the UK these distinctions seem to encompass much more than just political ideologies.
Now back to things more personal:
I have been on quite a FMF kick lately and only slowly am I realizing why he stimulates my vital energies so. Why you ask? Because he not only tells a great story, albeit in fractured ways, but he does so with such off-handed style and beauty. There is no sweaty straining after effect, with sentences reeking of some literary locker room or gym, but just an easy flow with a skillful complexity content to slip past unnoticed; so in a sense there’s a humility to his work, though definitely no stooping. And, and this is the clincher for me, his methods add up to a complete portrait of a singly unique mind as it plays across themes and concepts and landscapes, with a style mirroring the way minds (at least my mind) actually work, with a simultaneity of fluid conjunctions between various time-frames and scenes both in front of one’s face and in one’s memory. Ford Madox Ford is a writer to savor and to return to again and again, and even though this frumpy walrus' prose is as sexy as any co-ed's curves, it can be read without fear of dissipating one’s vital energies.
April 6, 2013
What a stunning tour de force.
Although Ford is a bit confusing in his arrangement of parts, I read this book still with the haze of the recent HBO production of Parade's End in my mind, so I found the discontinuity manageable. The story is also an antidote to the currently popular and overly-hawked Downton Abbey, which I have just sworn off of.
What makes a novel good? Well, Christopher Tietjens is a fine hero: a younger son, a brilliant mind, and an out-moded and almost accidentally received moral sense that makes no headway in this world. He and his mates move forward from the world that was comfortable to the world of the Great War. The moral dilemmas he faces are complex. Others move to their own advantage while Christopher does not feel a need to explain himself. Thus society mows him down almost as ruthlessly as the war does. Throw in £500 or £1000 a year to help the honest strivers in the world and one has hope for the culture.
I am pleased that the figure of Benedict Cumberbatch, British actor cast in the HBO production, plays in my mind as I read about Christopher Tietjens.
I have been reading this in a orange and white Penguin paperback edition (1948)labelled "one shilling/6 pence" on the front and ".35"(cents) on the back in pencil. Alas, the pages are brown and loose.
Although Ford is a bit confusing in his arrangement of parts, I read this book still with the haze of the recent HBO production of Parade's End in my mind, so I found the discontinuity manageable. The story is also an antidote to the currently popular and overly-hawked Downton Abbey, which I have just sworn off of.
What makes a novel good? Well, Christopher Tietjens is a fine hero: a younger son, a brilliant mind, and an out-moded and almost accidentally received moral sense that makes no headway in this world. He and his mates move forward from the world that was comfortable to the world of the Great War. The moral dilemmas he faces are complex. Others move to their own advantage while Christopher does not feel a need to explain himself. Thus society mows him down almost as ruthlessly as the war does. Throw in £500 or £1000 a year to help the honest strivers in the world and one has hope for the culture.
I am pleased that the figure of Benedict Cumberbatch, British actor cast in the HBO production, plays in my mind as I read about Christopher Tietjens.
I have been reading this in a orange and white Penguin paperback edition (1948)labelled "one shilling/6 pence" on the front and ".35"(cents) on the back in pencil. Alas, the pages are brown and loose.
April 17, 2010
If you're too good, people will hate you - appears to be the theme.
Having almost scratched my eyes out with 'The Good Soldier', or I should
say I couldn't appreciate the convoluted style, I promised to focus even
more this time, and 'Parade' is a better read.
FMF likes to open scenes with no context, so you don't have any idea
what is going on and you have to figure it out from the conversation,
which makes it difficult reading at times.
England 1910, two good friends Tietjens & MacMaster are 30ish, civil servants
who do the real work of running the country - crunching numbers. Tietjens is
the real intellect while MacMaster is better at working the system & knowing
who to know. Tietjens strives to be the perfect Englishman, reserved and
always above the common everyday scuffle, but not without opinions.
His wife, Sylvia finds his attitude insufferable and is just returning from running
off with another man. ---adultery a subject as in 'Good Soldier'. In fact
she tricked him in to marriage being pregnant, perhaps with another's child.
Tietjens takes all this in internal stride and strife. His buddy MacMaster thinks
he's daft for not divorcing. Tietjens wouldn't think of marring Sylvia's name,
an attitude she despises.
Tietjens goes off to war and when recovering from a wound he falls for a friend's daughter,
Valentine. His honor forbids any acknowledgement of the love and when he returns to the
front they decide to ponder the relationship.
Having almost scratched my eyes out with 'The Good Soldier', or I should
say I couldn't appreciate the convoluted style, I promised to focus even
more this time, and 'Parade' is a better read.
FMF likes to open scenes with no context, so you don't have any idea
what is going on and you have to figure it out from the conversation,
which makes it difficult reading at times.
England 1910, two good friends Tietjens & MacMaster are 30ish, civil servants
who do the real work of running the country - crunching numbers. Tietjens is
the real intellect while MacMaster is better at working the system & knowing
who to know. Tietjens strives to be the perfect Englishman, reserved and
always above the common everyday scuffle, but not without opinions.
His wife, Sylvia finds his attitude insufferable and is just returning from running
off with another man. ---adultery a subject as in 'Good Soldier'. In fact
she tricked him in to marriage being pregnant, perhaps with another's child.
Tietjens takes all this in internal stride and strife. His buddy MacMaster thinks
he's daft for not divorcing. Tietjens wouldn't think of marring Sylvia's name,
an attitude she despises.
Tietjens goes off to war and when recovering from a wound he falls for a friend's daughter,
Valentine. His honor forbids any acknowledgement of the love and when he returns to the
front they decide to ponder the relationship.
November 15, 2012
Some do not ... what? You must read it to find out. Parade's end may become my favourite of the great British 20th Century sequences, alongside the Balkan \ Levant trilogies, Raj Quartet, and more satisfying than A Dance to the Music of Time. Once in tune with the time shifting I savoured every page. And it's to be a BBC series ... http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pres...
http://fordmadoxford-conference.weebl...
http://fordmadoxford-conference.weebl...
April 20, 2011
I adored this book. Absolutely stunning prose in highly original structure. Not the easiest read but worth the effort. Read it over 10 years ago and still rates as my favourite - recommend highly.
June 25, 2022
I was recommended this book, by someone’s review on Tic Toc. From the start I was amazed by the writing, the intense imagery and flow was astounding beautiful . You will love where this book travels, sharing differing perspectives of events. But found the wrap up, being a tetralogy, quite unsatisfactory.
5 stars for the story 3 stars for the ending.
5 stars for the story 3 stars for the ending.
August 25, 2012
Originally published on my blog here in September 2000.
The character of Christopher Tietjens dominates the first novel of Ford's Parade's End sequence about the effects of the First World War as he does all four. His central place is because he represents much of the decent side of the old gentlemanly world destroyed in that conflict.
Strangely enough, in Some Do Not..., no part of the war is portrayed; it is mainly about the relationship between Tietjens and his wife Sylvia. This is what starts to unravel the genteel world in which the novel is set. At the beginning of the novel, Tietjens is travelling to Rye to cross to the continent to bring Sylvia back to him. She has run off with another man, and we soon discover that the paternity of their son (of whom Christopher is extremely fond) is doubtful. Sylvia is distinctly nasty to her decent, forgiving husband (probably because he is like this), and goes to the lengths of spreading rumours that he is secretly supporting a child by a mistress.
The relationship between Christopher and Sylvia Tietjens, and their relationships with those around them are the main themes of Some Do Not.... Since Tietjens has symbolic importance, these relationships are used to show that the seeds of the downfall of Victorian society lay within itself; the destructive war was the immediate but not the fundamental cause.
Despite the importance of the symbolic side of Christopher Tietjens, Ford has made him as real as possible. This is perhaps best seen in the transition between the first and second parts of the novel. This is an offstage period of active service, and the changes this has made to his character are cleverly portrayed.
Depite admiration for Ford's cleverness, it is impossible to read the novel without occasionally feeling it was rather slow; there are some dull patches.
The character of Christopher Tietjens dominates the first novel of Ford's Parade's End sequence about the effects of the First World War as he does all four. His central place is because he represents much of the decent side of the old gentlemanly world destroyed in that conflict.
Strangely enough, in Some Do Not..., no part of the war is portrayed; it is mainly about the relationship between Tietjens and his wife Sylvia. This is what starts to unravel the genteel world in which the novel is set. At the beginning of the novel, Tietjens is travelling to Rye to cross to the continent to bring Sylvia back to him. She has run off with another man, and we soon discover that the paternity of their son (of whom Christopher is extremely fond) is doubtful. Sylvia is distinctly nasty to her decent, forgiving husband (probably because he is like this), and goes to the lengths of spreading rumours that he is secretly supporting a child by a mistress.
The relationship between Christopher and Sylvia Tietjens, and their relationships with those around them are the main themes of Some Do Not.... Since Tietjens has symbolic importance, these relationships are used to show that the seeds of the downfall of Victorian society lay within itself; the destructive war was the immediate but not the fundamental cause.
Despite the importance of the symbolic side of Christopher Tietjens, Ford has made him as real as possible. This is perhaps best seen in the transition between the first and second parts of the novel. This is an offstage period of active service, and the changes this has made to his character are cleverly portrayed.
Depite admiration for Ford's cleverness, it is impossible to read the novel without occasionally feeling it was rather slow; there are some dull patches.
May 27, 2012
This is the first installment of Ford Madox Ford's Quadrilogy, Parade's End, which is one of my more ambitious summer reading selections. The book's narration moves fluidly back and forth through time and follows protagonist, Christopher Tietjens, a man struggling with a set of old-fashioned English gentleman values in a rapidly modernizing world. Tietjens describes the first World War as a war between the 18th century and the 20th century. In this environment old-fashioned morals and social restrictions still govern Christopher's life but are increasingly questioned. Christopher is a man so selfless and of such high morals as to accept back a wife who has eloped with another man while denying his own passion for another woman. Tietjens, a brilliant mathematician whose mind is incapacitated by shell shock, wrestles with his morals and his desires as he prepared to return to the front line.
This book is one that encourages the reader to move slowly forward at the risk of missing important details. Ford's beautiful language and startling attention to detail make this book a lurid, sensory experience. My intention is to intersperse the books of Parade's End with other books throughout this summer--but I'm not sure how successful that plan will prove as this seems like the kind of work that one does not recover from easily.
This book is one that encourages the reader to move slowly forward at the risk of missing important details. Ford's beautiful language and startling attention to detail make this book a lurid, sensory experience. My intention is to intersperse the books of Parade's End with other books throughout this summer--but I'm not sure how successful that plan will prove as this seems like the kind of work that one does not recover from easily.
October 25, 2009
This had a lot in common with War and Peace, the whole saga-like atmosphere focusing on a few related characters and their lives as they take place during wartime or leading up to it. I really enjoyed the segues back into time that, according to the introduction to my copy of the volume, are supposed to show how a mind is confused after being at war and also how it shows how events interrelate and remind one of other events in one's life. I look forward to reading the other three volumes, esp. as I hear that they are written in very different styles. I'm curious to compare. I am also impressed at how different a novel is from The Good Soldier. It has the time-shifts and a few ruthless central characters, but otherwise it is life on a grand scale and much kinder to the human condition, again like Tolstoy. I guess the optimistic view of humanity is where I fall in, or at least what I like in my reading material.
February 2, 2014
It took lots of time to read this book and many times I had to put it down and pick up another book. The book is actually four books with several parts in each book. The characters' thoughts and feelings before, during and after the World War I were provided in detail. Ford also gave us differing points of view of the soldier on the front lines and the folks back home. The author described the public opinions about war and relationships, along with the changes in views after the war. The story was based around Christopher, his wife Sylvia, the wife's exploits, and on Christopher's true love. The last installment, The Last Post, I think was written to let everyone know how things turned out, a conclusion. This part was not a quick read but I am glad I slugged through it. If you want to tackle this series I would recommend reading one part at a time and treat it as a series where you need to wait for the next installment.
January 29, 2013
A difficult novel to read for two reasons:
Ford's structure took some adjusting to and when I eventually figured out that he would drop in a new part of the story which he wouldn't elaborate until 50 to 100 pages later, I settled into it. However, that didn't make it any more enjoyable.
Secondly, Christopher Tietjens sense of honour as an English gentleman of a very elite class, and as a husband and son in this narrow world, just became annoying.
Having persisted for just over 900 pages, it was frustrating to me that Ford couldn't have written one or two more pages. For instance, what did Sylvia do after she FINALLY gave up tormenting Christopher and Valentine? What a complex, not wholly evil, woman she is!
Ford's structure took some adjusting to and when I eventually figured out that he would drop in a new part of the story which he wouldn't elaborate until 50 to 100 pages later, I settled into it. However, that didn't make it any more enjoyable.
Secondly, Christopher Tietjens sense of honour as an English gentleman of a very elite class, and as a husband and son in this narrow world, just became annoying.
Having persisted for just over 900 pages, it was frustrating to me that Ford couldn't have written one or two more pages. For instance, what did Sylvia do after she FINALLY gave up tormenting Christopher and Valentine? What a complex, not wholly evil, woman she is!
September 30, 2012
These are extraordinary books. I first read them about 25 years ago and was very impressed. then inspired by the very good TV version retread them September 2012. I have yet to read the fourth one and am interested to see whether some of the scenes in the Stoppard screenplay come up in the final book.
The three books are beautifully constructed, with dramatic flashbacks and changes of pace.
The characters are so deeply portrayed - they are real human beings: even the dreadful Sylvia is not wholly bad and the saintly Tietjens is not wholly good. The development of Macmaster from a decent (ish) chap to a monster is particularly fine.
September 13, 2012
Fascinating & intriguing read. I found it very funny in parts but then wondered if it was meant to be ironic? The streams of consciousness was so modern, the ideas and the mores examined complex and multilayered. Definitely rereading again just for the joy of the language. Love the main characters, too: Christopher saint or annoyng anachronism? Sylvie: banshee or just thwarted woman who supposedly can have evyrthing except what she wants? It made me spend lots of time thinking about what I'd read after I read it which hasn't happened for ages. Excellent.
October 8, 2013
So very heart-aching. So, very, very interior - a painstakingly drawn - and thus occasionally painful to read! - portrait of the inner life of a man struggling to adhere to his own honour in a world which seems to have abandoned all notion of such. Deciding between his unfaithful wife and devoted mistress-in-waiting, and set against the First World War, Christopher Tietjens strives in a picture of crumbling certainties in a changing world.
Yeah, this book really upset me.
Yeah, this book really upset me.
October 4, 2012
This book deals with Teitjen's time as a captain at a supplies depot, close to the Front during World War One. He has left Valentine and England behind, but Sylvia, on the war-path, follows him to France and stirs up a world of trouble in the process. To read my full review see: http://www.mybookaffair.net/2012/10/n...
March 15, 2013
Watched BBC adaptation and then bought the book. I had a holiday and it took a week to read but it was excellent. The characters are complex and rounded and the portrayal of the Great War is funny and heartbreaking by turns. must be one of the greatest novels of the last century. The BBC series is a fabulous adaptation with great production values - just a bit too condensed!
January 25, 2014
Wonderful - the last parts of Parade's End, Ford's brilliant books about a man out of touch with his times. The protagonist holds on to his old-school values in a Britain that's rapidly changing after World War I. Sometimes you admire him for his tenacity; at other times you want to kick some sense into him.
October 3, 2012
If the measure of a book is how easily it transports you to another place, then Ford Maddox Ford's novel, 'Some Do Not', is certainly a masterpiece. For full review see: http://www.mybookaffair.net/2012/09/s...
June 21, 2013
The sense of understanding every permutation of a character's psychology, even in the midst of a situation as unimaginably awful as the trenches of the First World War, is so intense that I am now missing this book very much and wishing I hadn't finished it.
August 25, 2012
I think my heart is broken.
August 25, 2012
Very good emotional
September 14, 2012
Loved this book, beautiful prose, if a bit strenuous due to constant consultation of the dictionary. Definitely merits re-reading. Great insights into England of the early 20th century.
October 21, 2012
More coherent than the first Parades End novel. Wonderfully scathing about the command structure of the British Army in the trenches.
October 24, 2012
Not an way read but. Very absorbing ....and some great nasty characters. Will def read the other 3 ...eventually !
January 11, 2013
Extremely elliptical - not quite The Good Soldier.
April 1, 2013
Very hard to read, but totally worth it.
September 5, 2013
Finding it impossible to finish....great reviews here but for me I pick it up and fall asleep....i quit.
April 7, 2013
Ford fans, watch this video.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/6...
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/6...
Want to read
April 15, 2013Had the Vintage paperback for well nigh on twenty years. Should be in my line but could never quite get a hold of it somehow. Pity. Still, try again someday I expect.
June 3, 2013
BOTH BOOKS WERE WONDERFUL EVEN THOUGH THE VOCABULARY WAS A LITTLE DIFICULT AT TIMES
Displaying 1 - 30 of 33 reviews