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Prose

Notes 6.4 Summary

• The children of James Elia, John and Alice, asked him to tell them about his grandmother-
their great grandmother- Mrs. Field who used to live in a great mansion in Norfolk. The
house belonged to a rich nobleman who lived in another new house. Grandmother Field was
the keeper of the house and she looked after the house with great care as though it was her
own. The tragic incident of the two children and their cruel uncle had taken place in the
house. The children had come to know the story from the ballad of ‘The Children in the
wood’. The story was carved in wood upon the chimney piece. But a foolish rich person later
pulled down the wooden chimney and put a chimney of marble. The new chimney piece had
no story on it. Alice was very unhappy that the rich man had pulled down the chimney piece
with the story. She looked upbraiding and her anger was like her mother’s.
• When the house came to decay later, after the death of Mrs. Field the nobleman carried away
the ornaments of the house and used them in his new house. The ornaments of the old house
looked very awkward in the new house, just like the beautiful tombs of Westminster Abbey
would look awkward if placed in someone’s drawing room. Things looked beautiful only if
they are in harmony with the surroundings. John enjoyed the comparison and smiled as if he
also felt it would be very awkward indeed. Grandmother Field was a very good lady. She
was also very religious for she was well acquainted with ‘The Book of Psalms’ in ‘The Old
Testament’ and a great portion of ‘The New Testament’ of ‘The Bible’. Alice here spread her
hands as if she was not interested in the praise of a quality of the grandmother that she
herself did not have. Children find it difficult to learn lessons by heart.

• Grandmother Field did not fear the spirits of the two infants which haunted the house at
night. So she slept alone. But Elia used to sleep with his maid as he was not so religious. John
tried to look courageous but his eyes expanded in fear. When the grandmother died many
people in the neighbourhood including the gentry or the aristocrats attended her funeral.
She was also a good dancer when she was young. Here, Alice moved her feet unconsciously
as she too was interested in dancing. Grandmother Field was tall and upright but later she
was bowed down by a disease called cancer. She was good to her grand children. Elia in
childhood used to spend his holiday there. He used to gaze upon the bust of the twelve
Caesars or roam about in the mansion or in the garden. In the garden, there were fruits like
nectarines, peaches, oranges and others. Elia never plucked them but rather enjoyed looking
at them. Here John deposited a bunch of grapes upon the plate again. He was showing that
he too was not tempted by fruits.
• His farce, Mr H, was performed at Drury Lane in 1807.
• Fortuitously, Lamb’s first publication was in 1796.
• His collected essays, under the title Essays of Elia, were published in 1823.
• The most famous of these is called “The Londoner” in which Lamb famously derides the
contemporary fascination with nature and the countryside.

6.5 Key-Words

1. Friskings : It is a search of a person’s outer clothing wherein a person runs his or
hands along the outer garments to detect any concealed weapons.
2. Melancholy looking : Sad or depressed

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