Legend

by Clemence Dane

Legend. . Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

193 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1919

About the author

Clemence Dane was the pseudonym of Winifred Ashton.

Clemence Dane (name for the London church, St Clement Danes) was the pseudonym of Winifred Ashton, an English novelist and playwright (1888-1965). Between World Wars I and II, she was arguably Britain’s most successful all-round writer, with a unique place in literary, stage and cinematic history. Dane won an Oscar for her screenplay “Vacation from Marriage,”. School teacher, novelist, playwright and magazine editor, Dane wrote at least 30 plays and 16 novels.

One series she was famous for was The Babyons, by Clemence Dane. Four long stories strung together by a supernatural thread and chronicling the family history of the Babyons over a period of about 200 years. The ghostly thread is introduced in the first story, “Third Personal Singular,” a tale of 1750. James Babyon, engaged to marry his cousin Hariot, becomes suddenly averse from her and breaks the engagement within a month of the date set for the wedding. In a passionate scene in which the probable madness of Hariot is subtly suggested she pleads with him and, finding him adamant, cries that they are already married in soul and are inseparable. That his cousin actually is subject to fits of madness he does not learn until he is wedded to her companion Menella. He and Menella go to Europe to find everywhere that people have a curious fear of them; a fear which spreads to their servants and, when he learns that Hariot committed suicide, to Babyon himself. He regards himself directly responsible for her death, becomes obsessed with the belief that she haunts him, and the tragedy ends with his madness. The second story is dated 1775, the third 1820-1873, and the last 1902-1906. These stories are lighter than the first stark tragedy, and they end with peace at last given to the Babyons. Through them all runs the influence of Hariot, that strange, wildly passionate woman of 1750. Fine, dramatic work of large conception.--The Australian Woman's Mirror 29 May 1928.

Reviews

[Cera · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm giving this book 4 stars not so much for what is actually does, but for what it is trying to do, which is to draw a portrait of a woman (Madala Grey, the 'Legend' of the title) without ever showing her on-screen. The entire novel (aside from a little bit at the beginning and very end) is the story of one night's conversation at an artistic London salon, watched by the recently orphaned cousin of the hostess. Although the book was published in 1919, it seems to take place much earlier than that; there's no mention of WWI. Everyone talks and talks and talks, and the viewpoint character has reactions to their conversation, and draws her own conclusions. It's an interesting notion, but in the end I don't think Dane quite pulls it off; it's too obvious what impression she thinks the reader should have of Grey, and with a 'right answer' the book becomes less interesting.

[Paul Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

[William Heinemann] (1919). HB. First Edition. Signed, dated and dedicated by the author in the year of publication. 193 Pages (58 Page Catalogue). Purchased from Longland Books.

A breathless, evening long, multi-party conversation, conducted within a fog-bound house. Supernatural elements; it’s something of a ghost story - atmospheric and creepy (in part).

Entertaining but not entirely successful.

The cast of characters are generally unpleasant but fibre deficient in that respect. I was left wanting a sophisticated dark actor on the scene, Iago, Oscar Clinton… someone vile and dangerous…

I came across Dane whilst reading about Claude Houghton, whom I greatly admire. My interest is piqued.

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very much looking forward to a novel where the recently departed Madala Grey would exert her influence on her friends through the medium of the ever thickening fog enveloping the house they are all gathered in, before finally appearing in person, though she died that very morning.

Instead what we do get is 170 plus pages of a bunch of self important literary fogies pontificating on whether or not Madala Grey was a genious, whether her last novel was a parody as it was so uncharacteristically romantic, and whether she had had an affair before marrying her husband.

The ghost does appear at last for about 4 pages and proceeds to do nothing and of course I did not come into this novel thinking it would be an endless series of blood, guts and terror, I fully expected a more sublte psychological approach but instead we have....well, nothing really. Just a load of discussion of books which don't exist and which I would rather read than this one because at the very least, the fragments presented sounded like there was some deeper characterisation going on, as opposed to "Insufferable scandalmongering blonde" and "self righteous woman jealous of her lack of literary success going on about her coming literary success".