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Alice or the Mysteries
This is another outstanding occult, Rosicrucian, novel that emphasizes one of Lytton's famous esoteric principles-vibration
436 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1838
About the author
Edward Bulwer-Lytton
4,550 books231 followersEdward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton PC, was an English novelist, poet, playwright, and politician. Lord Lytton was a florid, popular writer of his day, who coined such phrases as "the great unwashed", "pursuit of the almighty dollar", "the pen is mightier than the sword", and the infamous incipit "It was a dark and stormy night."
He was the youngest son of General William Earle Bulwer of Heydon Hall and Wood Dalling, Norfolk and Elizabeth Barbara Lytton, daughter of Richard Warburton Lytton of Knebworth, Hertfordshire. He had two brothers, William Earle Lytton Bulwer (1799–1877) and Henry Bulwer, 1st Baron Dalling and Bulwer.
Lord Lytton's original surname was Bulwer, the names 'Earle' and 'Lytton' were middle names. On 20 February 1844 he assumed the name and arms of Lytton by royal licence and his surname then became 'Bulwer-Lytton'. His widowed mother had done the same in 1811. His brothers were always simply surnamed 'Bulwer'.
He was the youngest son of General William Earle Bulwer of Heydon Hall and Wood Dalling, Norfolk and Elizabeth Barbara Lytton, daughter of Richard Warburton Lytton of Knebworth, Hertfordshire. He had two brothers, William Earle Lytton Bulwer (1799–1877) and Henry Bulwer, 1st Baron Dalling and Bulwer.
Lord Lytton's original surname was Bulwer, the names 'Earle' and 'Lytton' were middle names. On 20 February 1844 he assumed the name and arms of Lytton by royal licence and his surname then became 'Bulwer-Lytton'. His widowed mother had done the same in 1811. His brothers were always simply surnamed 'Bulwer'.
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 5, 2015
The Sequel to Ernst Maltravers
Published in 1838, Alice, or The Mysteries picks up the story of the disenchanted poet-gone-politician-gone-recluse Ernest Maltravers, his early love Alice Darvil and his underhanded antagonist Lumley Ferrers. Whereas, after Florence Lascelles’s death, Ernest has withdrawn from the world, everything seems to go well with Lumley, who has inherited the title of Lord Vargrave and started a political career. There is only the want of a fortune with which to further his social ambitions that keeps Lumley busy, and he is quite sure to lay hands on his late uncle’s vast inheritance by marrying the latter’s ward Evelyn, a marriage that has been wished for, but not commanded by his dying relative. However, Fate, at its most willful, again throws Ernest into Lumley’s way for when Maltravers meets the gentle and charming heiress and falls in love with her, the girl’s reservations against her long-time fiancé Lumley begin to grow, and the cynical politician again begins to plot against his former friend.
Although Alice is by far more action-driven than its predecessor, there are still some wonderful reflective passages, for which the author even needlessly – since I, at least, enjoyed them – excuses himself, focusing on the pros and cons of large-scale social reform. Maltravers may make a very verbose case for a more pessimistic outlook on human affairs and the strife of liberal-minded men, such as here:
”Civilization, enlightenment,—they are vague terms, hollow sounds. Never fear that the world will reason as I do. Action will never be stagnant while there are such things as gold and power. The vessel will move on—let the galley-slaves have it to themselves. What I have seen of life convinces me that progress is not always improvement. Civilization has evils unknown to the savage state; and vice versa. Men in all states seem to have much the same proportion of happiness. We judge others with eyes accustomed to dwell on our own circumstances. I have seen the slave, whom we commiserate, enjoy his holiday with a rapture unknown to the grave freeman. I have seen that slave made free, and enriched by the benevolence of his master; and he has been gay no more. The masses of men in all countries are much the same. If there are greater comforts in the hardy North, Providence bestows a fertile earth and a glorious heaven, and a mind susceptible to enjoyment as flowers to light, on the voluptuous indulgence of the Italian, or the contented apathy of the Hindoo. In the mighty organization of good and evil, what can we vain individuals effect? They who labour most, how doubtful is their reputation! Who shall say whether Voltaire or Napoleon, Cromwell or Caesar, Walpole or Pitt, has done most good or most evil? It is a question casuists may dispute on. Some of us think that poets have been the delight and the lights of men; another school of philosophy has treated them as the corrupters of the species,—panderers to the false glory of war, to the effeminacies of taste, to the pampering of the passions above the reason. Nay, even those who have effected inventions that change the face of the earth—the printing-press, gunpowder, the steam-engine,—men hailed as benefactors by the unthinking herd, or the would-be sages,—have introduced ills unknown before, adulterating and often counterbalancing the good. Each new improvement in machinery deprives hundreds of food. Civilization is the eternal sacrifice of one generation to the next. An awful sense of the impotence of human agencies has crushed down the sublime aspirations for mankind which I once indulged. For myself, I float on the great waters, without pilot or rudder, and trust passively to the winds, that are the breath of God”
but on the whole, Bulwer-Lytton, speaking through one of his characters named De Montaigne, leaves no doubt about his conviction that change is usually change for the better, and so eventually Maltravers is won over to the ranks of those who believe in the progress of the human species and try to ameliorate it. That, however, is not the most important nor the most dramatic development in the story, which is also about adultery, the menace of incest committed unwittingly and almost oedipally, a hit-and-run accident, and – of course, for what would a good novel be without it – murder. The scheming minx, the raving madman, the conniving politician, the noble hero, the gentle heiress, the gallant officer and the enduring mother – they are all in there. Plus you will probably never foresee the dénouement, which has so many twists and is based on so many coincidences that even Mr. Dickens himself would have turned up his nose against it. Still, it is great fun, and I think that a Victorian author ought to get away with it …
So, all in all, I would strongly advise you to allow yourself the treat of the story of Ernest Maltravers and his beloved Alice, and to rediscover Bulwer-Lytton.
Published in 1838, Alice, or The Mysteries picks up the story of the disenchanted poet-gone-politician-gone-recluse Ernest Maltravers, his early love Alice Darvil and his underhanded antagonist Lumley Ferrers. Whereas, after Florence Lascelles’s death, Ernest has withdrawn from the world, everything seems to go well with Lumley, who has inherited the title of Lord Vargrave and started a political career. There is only the want of a fortune with which to further his social ambitions that keeps Lumley busy, and he is quite sure to lay hands on his late uncle’s vast inheritance by marrying the latter’s ward Evelyn, a marriage that has been wished for, but not commanded by his dying relative. However, Fate, at its most willful, again throws Ernest into Lumley’s way for when Maltravers meets the gentle and charming heiress and falls in love with her, the girl’s reservations against her long-time fiancé Lumley begin to grow, and the cynical politician again begins to plot against his former friend.
Although Alice is by far more action-driven than its predecessor, there are still some wonderful reflective passages, for which the author even needlessly – since I, at least, enjoyed them – excuses himself, focusing on the pros and cons of large-scale social reform. Maltravers may make a very verbose case for a more pessimistic outlook on human affairs and the strife of liberal-minded men, such as here:
”Civilization, enlightenment,—they are vague terms, hollow sounds. Never fear that the world will reason as I do. Action will never be stagnant while there are such things as gold and power. The vessel will move on—let the galley-slaves have it to themselves. What I have seen of life convinces me that progress is not always improvement. Civilization has evils unknown to the savage state; and vice versa. Men in all states seem to have much the same proportion of happiness. We judge others with eyes accustomed to dwell on our own circumstances. I have seen the slave, whom we commiserate, enjoy his holiday with a rapture unknown to the grave freeman. I have seen that slave made free, and enriched by the benevolence of his master; and he has been gay no more. The masses of men in all countries are much the same. If there are greater comforts in the hardy North, Providence bestows a fertile earth and a glorious heaven, and a mind susceptible to enjoyment as flowers to light, on the voluptuous indulgence of the Italian, or the contented apathy of the Hindoo. In the mighty organization of good and evil, what can we vain individuals effect? They who labour most, how doubtful is their reputation! Who shall say whether Voltaire or Napoleon, Cromwell or Caesar, Walpole or Pitt, has done most good or most evil? It is a question casuists may dispute on. Some of us think that poets have been the delight and the lights of men; another school of philosophy has treated them as the corrupters of the species,—panderers to the false glory of war, to the effeminacies of taste, to the pampering of the passions above the reason. Nay, even those who have effected inventions that change the face of the earth—the printing-press, gunpowder, the steam-engine,—men hailed as benefactors by the unthinking herd, or the would-be sages,—have introduced ills unknown before, adulterating and often counterbalancing the good. Each new improvement in machinery deprives hundreds of food. Civilization is the eternal sacrifice of one generation to the next. An awful sense of the impotence of human agencies has crushed down the sublime aspirations for mankind which I once indulged. For myself, I float on the great waters, without pilot or rudder, and trust passively to the winds, that are the breath of God”
but on the whole, Bulwer-Lytton, speaking through one of his characters named De Montaigne, leaves no doubt about his conviction that change is usually change for the better, and so eventually Maltravers is won over to the ranks of those who believe in the progress of the human species and try to ameliorate it. That, however, is not the most important nor the most dramatic development in the story, which is also about adultery, the menace of incest committed unwittingly and almost oedipally, a hit-and-run accident, and – of course, for what would a good novel be without it – murder. The scheming minx, the raving madman, the conniving politician, the noble hero, the gentle heiress, the gallant officer and the enduring mother – they are all in there. Plus you will probably never foresee the dénouement, which has so many twists and is based on so many coincidences that even Mr. Dickens himself would have turned up his nose against it. Still, it is great fun, and I think that a Victorian author ought to get away with it …
So, all in all, I would strongly advise you to allow yourself the treat of the story of Ernest Maltravers and his beloved Alice, and to rediscover Bulwer-Lytton.
September 25, 2026
So this is the sequel or second half of Ernest Maltravers. There are 3 major problems with it. Firstly the method of story-telling.. and i can’t say whether the previous volume was written the same way but if it was it didn’t leave the impression that it was. So the story is told by alternating between a personal character view and a broader omniscient author view point.
This method is one of the major reasons i hated Trollope's, Barchester Towers aswell as the more modern Oscar and Lucinda and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. The method generally causes the reader to become completely detached from the characters and you just don;t care about what’s happening.
However in this case it still works. I don’t think its a benefit but it doesn’t destroy the work, either due to the investment built up during the previous volume or simply due to Bulwer-Lytton being a much better writer than the other three.
The second issue is that the subtitle of this book is The Mysteries. These mysteries are not in anyway mysterious to the reader, but rather the characters from this volume are unaware of the parts of the previous story that they were absent from.
So you spend the entire book waiting for characters to realise what the reader already knows.. not great plotting.
The third issue is directly related to the previous one. Since people don’t know whats what, you end up in a will they/won’t they situation involving what the reader knows to be a father and daughter... now before you vomit, i will say that i thought there was a near 0% chance of things going there.
However it was not absolute 0 as victorian authors are nothing if not classicists and tragedians. Even Tolkien raised the shadow of Oedipus with his tragedy the The Children of Húrin so i couldn’t entirely dismiss the possibility here.
That plot point however disturbing, did at least add some stress energy to the book and combined with a more active villain, some politic manoeuvring, some nice philosophical asides and a Deus Ex Maniac and the second half of this volume became the most energetic portion of the entire double feature.
And i didn’t even mention the 11th hour twist.. i guess there were several actually... but the main one is one of the really bad twists that requires a lot of facts not in evidence. Also it really doesn’t change anything for the reader.
Anyway, ao 4 books down (3 if we count this and Ernest as a single) Bulwer-Lytton remains eminently readable even outside of the genre fiction i prefer.
Ernest Maltravers: 3.4 out of 5
Alice: 3.7 out of 5
This method is one of the major reasons i hated Trollope's, Barchester Towers aswell as the more modern Oscar and Lucinda and The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay. The method generally causes the reader to become completely detached from the characters and you just don;t care about what’s happening.
However in this case it still works. I don’t think its a benefit but it doesn’t destroy the work, either due to the investment built up during the previous volume or simply due to Bulwer-Lytton being a much better writer than the other three.
The second issue is that the subtitle of this book is The Mysteries. These mysteries are not in anyway mysterious to the reader, but rather the characters from this volume are unaware of the parts of the previous story that they were absent from.
So you spend the entire book waiting for characters to realise what the reader already knows.. not great plotting.
The third issue is directly related to the previous one. Since people don’t know whats what, you end up in a will they/won’t they situation involving what the reader knows to be a father and daughter... now before you vomit, i will say that i thought there was a near 0% chance of things going there.
However it was not absolute 0 as victorian authors are nothing if not classicists and tragedians. Even Tolkien raised the shadow of Oedipus with his tragedy the The Children of Húrin so i couldn’t entirely dismiss the possibility here.
That plot point however disturbing, did at least add some stress energy to the book and combined with a more active villain, some politic manoeuvring, some nice philosophical asides and a Deus Ex Maniac and the second half of this volume became the most energetic portion of the entire double feature.
And i didn’t even mention the 11th hour twist.. i guess there were several actually... but the main one is one of the really bad twists that requires a lot of facts not in evidence. Also it really doesn’t change anything for the reader.
Anyway, ao 4 books down (3 if we count this and Ernest as a single) Bulwer-Lytton remains eminently readable even outside of the genre fiction i prefer.
Ernest Maltravers: 3.4 out of 5
Alice: 3.7 out of 5
May 23, 2018
I accidentally read the sequel before reading the original. Duh!
January 19, 2024
When I finished Ernest Maltravers, only to learn Edward Bulwer-Lytton casually created the sequel, I was filled with unspeakable rage.
But Alice or the Mysteries did not disappoint. Not content with the invention of the sequel, Eddie added plot twist to the mix. I mean, he loves a good plot twist and always has. This is mic drop level plot twist. Stop reading for a moment to let it sink in level plot twist. From the 1800s. Bugger Maltravers, Edward Bulwer-Lytton is a Man of Genuis. Though if Ernest is any indication, Eddie must have been insufferable at dinner parties.
And let's hear it for Alice. The first character to get a book named after her and still not be allowed to speak with her own voice. Guess that's why it's called 'or the Mysteries', because Alice remains one throughout. Particularly on the nearly every page when she isn't even there.
But Alice or the Mysteries did not disappoint. Not content with the invention of the sequel, Eddie added plot twist to the mix. I mean, he loves a good plot twist and always has. This is mic drop level plot twist. Stop reading for a moment to let it sink in level plot twist. From the 1800s. Bugger Maltravers, Edward Bulwer-Lytton is a Man of Genuis. Though if Ernest is any indication, Eddie must have been insufferable at dinner parties.
And let's hear it for Alice. The first character to get a book named after her and still not be allowed to speak with her own voice. Guess that's why it's called 'or the Mysteries', because Alice remains one throughout. Particularly on the nearly every page when she isn't even there.
August 23, 2021
Beautiful writing and while the general ending was not very surprising, there were plenty of twists and turns on the way!
June 16, 2022
Entertaining listening 🎶🔰
I read this novel as the individual novellas which are will written British 🏰 romantic relationship family political short stories by Baron Edward Bulwer Lytton Lytton about Evelyn a young 👦 woman who is being pursued in marriage by the Lord Vogarian so he can recover the fortune given to Evelyn. But along comes Maltravers who is pursuing Evelyn but then things go wrong. I would recommend this novel to readers of historical romantic novels 👍🔰. Enjoy the adventure of reading 👓 or listening 🎶 to Alexa as I do because of eye damage and health issues. 2022 👒😊💑🏡
I read this novel as the individual novellas which are will written British 🏰 romantic relationship family political short stories by Baron Edward Bulwer Lytton Lytton about Evelyn a young 👦 woman who is being pursued in marriage by the Lord Vogarian so he can recover the fortune given to Evelyn. But along comes Maltravers who is pursuing Evelyn but then things go wrong. I would recommend this novel to readers of historical romantic novels 👍🔰. Enjoy the adventure of reading 👓 or listening 🎶 to Alexa as I do because of eye damage and health issues. 2022 👒😊💑🏡
July 7, 2017
The story touched my core.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews