Troubles (novel)
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| Troubles | |
| Author | J. G. Farrell |
|---|---|
| Country | England |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Publication date | 1970 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 446 |
| Followed by | The Siege of Krishnapur |
Troubles is a 1970 novel by the English author J.G. Farrell. It is the first installment in his acclaimed 'Empire Trilogy', preceding 'The Siege of Krishnapur' and 'The Singapore Grip'. Although there are similar themes within the three novels (most notably that of the British Empire), they do not form a sequence of storytelling. 'Troubles' concerns the dilapidation of a once grand Irish hotel (the Majestic), running alongside political upheaval during the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921).
[edit] Plot summary
The novel concerns the arrival of Englishman Major Brendan Archer, recently discharged from the British Army, at the Majestic Hotel on the Wexford coast in south-east Ireland. He has proposed to Angela Spencer, the daughter of Edward Spencer, the elderly owner of the Majestic Hotel in 1916 while on leave from the trench warfare of the Western Front. The Spencer's are an Anglo-Irish Protestant family, strongly Unionist in their attitudes towards Ireland's ties to the UK.
[edit] Characters in "Troubles"
- Major Brendan Archer – ex Army Officer and fiancee of Angela Spencer
- Angela Spencer – daughter of Edward Spencer
[edit] Analysis of "Troubles"
Farrell develops the insulated environment of the run-down hotel as a reflection on the attitudes of the historically privileged Anglo-Irish, in denial of the violent insurgency of the overwhelming majority (Nationalists/Republicans).
While the Irish War of Independence forms the background to the events of the novel, the political upheaval is not treated as a theme. Apart from occasional news reports concerning the war, the only references to it are chance remarks from the novel's characters. The novel's action takes place mostly within the hotel, with the remainder of the scenes taking place almost entirely in the surrounding areas. As a result, the only characters given a major airing are the Major and the Spencer family, which adds to the claustrophobic, unreal mood of the novel.
