Lothair

by Benjamin Disraeli

"I remember him a little boy," said the duchess, "a pretty little boy, but very shy. His mother brought him to us one day. She was a dear friend of mine; you know she was one of my bridesmaids?" "And you have never seen him since, mamma?" inquired a married daughter, who looked like the younger sister of her mother. "Never; he was an orphan shortly after; I have often reproached myself, but it is so difficult to see boys. Then, he never went to school, but was brought up in the Highlands with a rather savage uncle; and if he and Bertram had not become friends at Christchurch, I do not well see how we ever could have known him." These remarks were made in the morning-room of Brentham, where the mistress of the mansion sat surrounded by her daughters, all occupied with various works. One knitted a purse, another adorned a slipper a third emblazoned a page. Beautiful forms in counsel leaned over frames embroidery, while two fair sisters more remote occasionally burst into melody as they tried the passages of a new air, which had been dedicated to them in the manuscript of some devoted friend.

Genres: Classic Literature, Literary Fiction, Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1870

About the author

One of the great British politicians of the nineteenth century, Disraeli served twice as Tory Prime Minister (1868 and 1874 - 1880) and was also a prominent figure in opposition. He is most famous today for the bitter hatred between himself and his political rival William Gladstone. He enjoyed the favour of Queen Victoria, who shared his dislike of Gladstone. His most significant political achievements are the 1867 Reform Act, in which he was instrumental, and the creation of the modern Conservative Party, with which he is credited. His literary career was greatly overshadowed by his parliamentary ambitions ('climbing the greasy pole'), but includes both romances and political novels.

Reviews

[Bettie · Rating 2 out of 5]

A delightful picture of gardenesque planting can be found in Disraeli's high-flown romantic novel, Lothair; written in 1870, it describes a park planted in about 1800 with all the trees as specimens, no longer in the belts and clumps of Capability Brown.

Page 66 The Pleasure Garden An Illustrated History of British Gardening

[Bob · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you ever wanted to understand romanticism, Lothair is your book! The title character epitomizes the young romantic hero. Lothair is born into wealth but raised by two guardians, a Scottish protestant and an Anglican priest converted to Roman Catholicism, who subsequently was elevated to cardinal. A good part of the book chronicles the tussle over Lothair's religious loyalties as he comes into his majority and assumes his vast inheritance. Mix this up with Lothair's own religious sentiments and his longings for the ideal woman, which he fixes upon Theodora, who enlists him with the anti-Catholic partisans seeking to overthrow the Vatican, and you have the romanticist novel.

The book stretches credulity at points after Lothair is wounded and tended by a Catholic family after a purported visitation to the daughter by the virgin Mary leads to Lothair's miraculous recovery. The attempts to use Lothair for Romanist propaganda appear nothing short of cult-like. Behind the scenes are the saner elements of British society, his financial advisor and soliciter, Putney Giles, his high society contemporaries, and the Lady Corisande.

I will not spoil the conclusion of this tug of war between extremist, religious, and conservative elements. Personally, I thought Disraeli's poltical novels more interesting, which makes sense given his career in Parliament. So I will only give this 3 stars.

[Gela Tevzadze · Rating 3 out of 5]

Expected more from a literary piece created by the Right Honorable Benjamin Disraeli, but still worth reading - at least to savor and appreciate a sample of his style.

[Lyrrad Retac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Who was Disraeli really on matters of religion?


Why did former Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli write this fairly searching exploration of religious feeling, his second straight novel about a young British aristocrat on a spiritual quest, when in private, to his friends, he was inclined to diss all religions and claim he was incapable of religious belief? Thinking about the answer to this question makes “Lothair” (a huge bestseller in 1870 but often poorly reviewed) entertaining despite the fact that it is not the best, most original or most informative of his novels.

Lothair, the title hero, is based on the real-life 3rd Marquess of Bute, an orphan who is reported to have been the richest man in the world in the 1860s but who scandalized Victorian society by converting to Catholicism after turning 21 and reaching his majority. In the novel, Lothair is courted in entertainingly insidious fashion, though not altogether unsympathetically, by a Roman Catholic Cardinal. This character is based on an actual prelate who earned Disraeli’s wrath by switching from an allegiance with his Conservative Party to an allegiance with Gladstone’s Liberal Party, after Gladstone hit on the idea of advocating for the disestablishment of the Irish Anglican Church as a way of pushing Disraeli out of the Prime Minister’s seat. Why Disraeli lost the 1868 election is debated (was it the fact that he expanded the voters with the Reform Act of 1867 and thereby allowed in many new liberal voters?) but it is clear that Gladstone had at least one friend who saw this move as the only way to “get Dizzy out of office.” So it is thought Disraeli wrote this book to get revenge on the real life Cardinal Manning who inspired his Cardinal Grandison.

Lothair, thus courted for his money and influence by multiple religions, finds himself choosing between three women who each represent a religious perspective: a Catholic who is married to God, an Anglican, and a liberal humanist whose religion is her own conscience. It is the third perspective Disraeli writes with the greatest passion, interestingly, and we wonder whether he will finally end with a hero who is not (like Disraeli himself) a member of the Anglican Church.

Many thought Disraeli was incapable of principle, but it’s hard to believe that when he wrote with this much reflection and investment in a subject he could easily not have written about at all. This leads me to suspect he was more than simply a believer in the institution of the church, which he sincerely thought kept England from chaos and revolution. A Jew who joined the Anglican Church as a young boy, Disraeli was enigmatic when it came to religion, writing with particular interest in Judaism but also colorfully about Catholicism and supportively of Anglicanism. The best way to explore who he was perhaps is to read this book and the novel he wrote twenty years before this one, “Tancred.” Inherent therein are keys to the evolution of modern conservatism and liberalism.

[Descending Angel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unconvincing, full of flat characters, that doesn't really add up to anything thoughtful or interesting.

[Diane · Rating 5 out of 5]

19th century romance about the coming of age of the hero, Lothair. Very psychological; the author provides an amazingly prescient analysis of the main character and his times.