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Wigs on the Green
Nancy Mitford’s most controversial novel, unavailable for decades, is a hilarious satirical send-up of the political enthusiasms of her notorious sisters, Unity and Diana.
Written in 1934, early in Hitler’s rise, Wigs on the Green lightheartedly skewers the devoted followers of British fascism.
The sheltered and unworldy Eugenia Malmains is one of the richest girls in England and an ardent supporter of General Jack and his Union Jackshirts. World-weary Noel Foster and his scheming friend Jasper Aspect are in search of wealthy heiresses to marry; Lady Marjorie, disguised as a commoner, is on the run from the Duke she has just jilted at the altar; and her friend Poppy is considering whether to divorce her rich husband.
When these characters converge with the colorful locals at a grandly misconceived costume pageant that turns into a brawl between Pacifists and Jackshirts, madcap farce ensues. Long suppressed by the author out of sensitivity to family feelings, Wigs on the Green can now be enjoyed by fans of Mitford’s superbly comic novels.
Written in 1934, early in Hitler’s rise, Wigs on the Green lightheartedly skewers the devoted followers of British fascism.
The sheltered and unworldy Eugenia Malmains is one of the richest girls in England and an ardent supporter of General Jack and his Union Jackshirts. World-weary Noel Foster and his scheming friend Jasper Aspect are in search of wealthy heiresses to marry; Lady Marjorie, disguised as a commoner, is on the run from the Duke she has just jilted at the altar; and her friend Poppy is considering whether to divorce her rich husband.
When these characters converge with the colorful locals at a grandly misconceived costume pageant that turns into a brawl between Pacifists and Jackshirts, madcap farce ensues. Long suppressed by the author out of sensitivity to family feelings, Wigs on the Green can now be enjoyed by fans of Mitford’s superbly comic novels.
177 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1935
About the author
Nancy Mitford
65 books713 followersNancy Mitford, styled The Hon. Nancy Mitford before her marriage and The Hon. Mrs Peter Rodd thereafter, was an English novelist and biographer, one of the Bright Young People on the London social scene in the inter-war years. She was born at 1 Graham Street (now Graham Place) in Belgravia, London, the eldest daughter of Lord Redesdale, and was brought up at Asthall Manor in Oxfordshire. She was the eldest of the six controversial Mitford sisters.
She is best remembered for her series of novels about upper-class life in England and France, particularly the four published after 1945; but she also wrote four well-received, well-researched popular biographies (of Louis XIV, Madame de Pompadour, Voltaire, and Frederick the Great). She was one of the noted Mitford sisters and the first to publicize the extraordinary family life of her very English and very eccentric family, giving rise to a "Mitford industry," which continues.
She is best remembered for her series of novels about upper-class life in England and France, particularly the four published after 1945; but she also wrote four well-received, well-researched popular biographies (of Louis XIV, Madame de Pompadour, Voltaire, and Frederick the Great). She was one of the noted Mitford sisters and the first to publicize the extraordinary family life of her very English and very eccentric family, giving rise to a "Mitford industry," which continues.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 233 reviews
June 11, 2021
Just stop for a moment and imagine Nancy Mitford's life: one of her sisters went off to Spain to fight for the Republicans. One brother died in Burma because he didn't want to fight the Germans. One sister was in love with Hitler, and tried to kill herself when Britain declared war on Germany. Another sister married Oswald Mosley.
It can't have been easy. So Nancy did what she did best: she wrote a book making fun of "jackshirts" - Mosley's blackshirts - where one of the main characters is a young girl obsessed with fascism - perhaps her own sister Diana? No matter. Diana got angry, which was bad for Nancy, but rather good for the rest of sensible humanity. Sadly, Nancy decided against republishing this book. It took a brand new Penguin edition to bring it again to the attention of the readers.
It is a fun romp, rather Edwardian in its ways. It's not necessarily hilarious, nor is it mean. But it is teasing and biting when it needs to be. Nancy learned her lesson well from Voltaire. Laugh, laugh and you'll crush them.
It can't have been easy. So Nancy did what she did best: she wrote a book making fun of "jackshirts" - Mosley's blackshirts - where one of the main characters is a young girl obsessed with fascism - perhaps her own sister Diana? No matter. Diana got angry, which was bad for Nancy, but rather good for the rest of sensible humanity. Sadly, Nancy decided against republishing this book. It took a brand new Penguin edition to bring it again to the attention of the readers.
It is a fun romp, rather Edwardian in its ways. It's not necessarily hilarious, nor is it mean. But it is teasing and biting when it needs to be. Nancy learned her lesson well from Voltaire. Laugh, laugh and you'll crush them.
December 29, 2018
A farce about fascism? It's easy to see how this is of its time and why Nancy Mitford didn't publish it again. Written in the early '30s, it pokes fun at Eugenia Marchmain, a sheltered heiress who is obsessed with The Union Jackshirts, a transparent riff on Unity Mitford' s crazy obsession with Hitler, and Diana's relationship with Oswald Mosley who headed the British Union of Fascists. What was funny at the start of the 30s as these rich young things self-importantly prance and pontificate, lost all humour later as Nancy, long-time mistress to a senior Free French aide to de Gaulle, knew well.
Still, it's interesting to see how certain sectors of society viewed Britain's flirtation with fascism at the time, and there are more targets of Nancy's light satire: wealthy old aristocrats, members of the House of Lords, Bright Young Things, artists, men on the make, ageing beauties are all subjected to Nancy's critical eye.
This is certainly frothier and more light-hearted than the later novels and doesn't have the heart of The Pursuit of Love or Love in a Cold Climate. It's frequently more farce than satire and reminded me of the early Waugh novels seasoned with a bit of Wodehouse and a trace of EF Benson's Mapp and Lucia novels. More absurd than acidic, elegant writing can't conceal the essential airiness of this confection.
Still, it's interesting to see how certain sectors of society viewed Britain's flirtation with fascism at the time, and there are more targets of Nancy's light satire: wealthy old aristocrats, members of the House of Lords, Bright Young Things, artists, men on the make, ageing beauties are all subjected to Nancy's critical eye.
This is certainly frothier and more light-hearted than the later novels and doesn't have the heart of The Pursuit of Love or Love in a Cold Climate. It's frequently more farce than satire and reminded me of the early Waugh novels seasoned with a bit of Wodehouse and a trace of EF Benson's Mapp and Lucia novels. More absurd than acidic, elegant writing can't conceal the essential airiness of this confection.
November 22, 2018
This send-up of fascism at a time when, little did they know (1934, much like late 2015) funny looking, clown-like people could really take control and ruin millions of lives - written by a member of England’s 0.01% during Hitler’s rise - is brilliant. Nancy (i’m guessing) must have been the “smart” Mitford sister, as this was held out of publication for many years as it was written as a satire of her sisters (Unity and Diana) and their unbridled infatuation with fascism, Hitler, & Il Duce. Might have been funny in 1934, but apparently it became painful with the wisdom of hindsight.
So as the western world votes its way into fascism again we can relive these happy moments with exquisitely defined characters, a typical English village replete with its types, the requisite UNlanded gentry scheming to marry heiresses, and heiresses running from engagements to dukes. A fine plot.
A central character is a sort of unholy Joan of Arc. Heiress to millions, locked on the grounds of an estate (which makes Blenheim sound like an outbuilding) with only her grandparents who haven’t left the grounds since the total devastation of the family’s reputation by a legal divorce (can you imagine?) decades ago. This, they feel, makes Eugenia (the heiress) unmarriageable.
Eugenia, trapped in an absolute world, finds her own absolute passion - hers is political - Captain Jack and the Union Jack Shirts (English Fascists). A true believer in the Rise of the Aryans, especially the English Aryans - an even more pure England and All That Was and Will Be Again. At one point she keeps non-Aryans out of her carriage (on the train) with a dagger. Swell gal. Sounds a lot like Make Feudalism Great Again.
All of the enemies want peace. How simply intolerable.
There are so many flawless descriptions of English eccentricities that perhaps only someone in a Mitford-like position could know and write so well. There are of course so many insane Peers that an entire asylum , er, inpatient facility only for them, is built to exactly match Parliament. They hold sessions, vote on important issues, build birds nests, play with blocks - you know - pretty much everything they did on the outside. Even fight with the few Socialists who “..put a perfectly exaggerated value on human life, you know. Ridiculous. As I said in my speech, what on earth does it matter if a few people are killed, we’re not at war are we? We don’t need ‘em for cannon fodder? Then what earthly good do they do?”
Specifically, about the Peer building the huge nest high in a tree, “That’s a first-class nest he has made. They tell me it is entirely lined with pieces of the India Report. Of course we miss him in the House just now, but I bet you he is doing good work up there all the same.”
Ah, Britannia. Definitely recommended.
So as the western world votes its way into fascism again we can relive these happy moments with exquisitely defined characters, a typical English village replete with its types, the requisite UNlanded gentry scheming to marry heiresses, and heiresses running from engagements to dukes. A fine plot.
A central character is a sort of unholy Joan of Arc. Heiress to millions, locked on the grounds of an estate (which makes Blenheim sound like an outbuilding) with only her grandparents who haven’t left the grounds since the total devastation of the family’s reputation by a legal divorce (can you imagine?) decades ago. This, they feel, makes Eugenia (the heiress) unmarriageable.
Eugenia, trapped in an absolute world, finds her own absolute passion - hers is political - Captain Jack and the Union Jack Shirts (English Fascists). A true believer in the Rise of the Aryans, especially the English Aryans - an even more pure England and All That Was and Will Be Again. At one point she keeps non-Aryans out of her carriage (on the train) with a dagger. Swell gal. Sounds a lot like Make Feudalism Great Again.
All of the enemies want peace. How simply intolerable.
There are so many flawless descriptions of English eccentricities that perhaps only someone in a Mitford-like position could know and write so well. There are of course so many insane Peers that an entire asylum , er, inpatient facility only for them, is built to exactly match Parliament. They hold sessions, vote on important issues, build birds nests, play with blocks - you know - pretty much everything they did on the outside. Even fight with the few Socialists who “..put a perfectly exaggerated value on human life, you know. Ridiculous. As I said in my speech, what on earth does it matter if a few people are killed, we’re not at war are we? We don’t need ‘em for cannon fodder? Then what earthly good do they do?”
Specifically, about the Peer building the huge nest high in a tree, “That’s a first-class nest he has made. They tell me it is entirely lined with pieces of the India Report. Of course we miss him in the House just now, but I bet you he is doing good work up there all the same.”
Ah, Britannia. Definitely recommended.
January 15, 2019
“Wigs on the Green,” was published in 1935 and was Nancy Mitford’s third novel. This pre-war novel is a satirical look of the rise of fascism in 1930’s Europe. Of course, Nancy Mitford was well placed to cast her sharp eye on events – her sister Diana was married to Oswald Mosley and her sister Unity, infamously, flirted with fascism. This book was much edited, but still caused a huge family rift and, wisely, Mitford left it out of print after the war – where it remained for over seventy five years. Although, this is probably her least successful novel, it is still very interesting and, although in hindsight, fascism obviously did not seen a suitable subject for comedy, this is full of Mitford’s sharp, satirical humour.
The novel begins with a young man, Noel, who, having received a small legacy, decides to throw in his boring job and have an adventure. Unwisely taking the ne’er do well Jasper into his confidence, Noel remarks that he wants to marry an heiress. Immediately, Jasper recalls the slightly batty Eugenia Malmains (based on Unity) who is living in country obscurity with her grandparents. One of the richest girls in England, Eugenia’s grandparents are still horrified by an old scandal, involving Eugenia’s mother. Arriving in the country, they find she has fallen under the spell of the Union Jackshirts, led by the mesmerising Captain Jack (based on Mosley), As Jasper remarks wryly, had the bored and resentful Eugenia been born twenty years earlier, she would probably had been a suffragette…
Also staying at the country pub where Noel and Jasper arrive, are two young women – one, a cousin of Eugenia, running away from an errant husband, the other, another heiress, running from getting married. With more than one heiress to choose from, Noel finds an attractive local beauty and we are soon in a farce of various different romances, and misunderstandings. Mitford peoples her pages with delightfully bizarre places, and people – a replica of the House of Lords, populated by elderly men who believe they are running the country, for example. Meanwhile, the culmination of the novel is a pageant that Eugenia puts on, to the dubious glory of Captain Jack, which like so many of Oswald’s own meetings, ends in chaos. Although Nancy Mitford’s tongue was, firmly in her cheek, this is undoubtedly a sly dig at two of her own sisters and, unsurprisingly, was not well received by them.
The novel begins with a young man, Noel, who, having received a small legacy, decides to throw in his boring job and have an adventure. Unwisely taking the ne’er do well Jasper into his confidence, Noel remarks that he wants to marry an heiress. Immediately, Jasper recalls the slightly batty Eugenia Malmains (based on Unity) who is living in country obscurity with her grandparents. One of the richest girls in England, Eugenia’s grandparents are still horrified by an old scandal, involving Eugenia’s mother. Arriving in the country, they find she has fallen under the spell of the Union Jackshirts, led by the mesmerising Captain Jack (based on Mosley), As Jasper remarks wryly, had the bored and resentful Eugenia been born twenty years earlier, she would probably had been a suffragette…
Also staying at the country pub where Noel and Jasper arrive, are two young women – one, a cousin of Eugenia, running away from an errant husband, the other, another heiress, running from getting married. With more than one heiress to choose from, Noel finds an attractive local beauty and we are soon in a farce of various different romances, and misunderstandings. Mitford peoples her pages with delightfully bizarre places, and people – a replica of the House of Lords, populated by elderly men who believe they are running the country, for example. Meanwhile, the culmination of the novel is a pageant that Eugenia puts on, to the dubious glory of Captain Jack, which like so many of Oswald’s own meetings, ends in chaos. Although Nancy Mitford’s tongue was, firmly in her cheek, this is undoubtedly a sly dig at two of her own sisters and, unsurprisingly, was not well received by them.
September 14, 2010
Nancy Mitford fans, including me, have been waiting a long time for this novel to be republished. Even used copies of WIGS ON THE GREEN have been hard to find, since after its release in 1935 it has only rarely been back in print. It became controversial because it was written at a time when Hitler was someone to laugh at, at least for Nancy, and it caused uproar in Nancy's family because Diana and Unity, her two passionately fascist-leaning sisters, did not like the way their beloved movement was teasingly ridiculed. Nancy never let it be reprinted in her lifetime.
Nancy's determination to always find something ironic or funny in even the worst situations makes for wonderful reading and this book is no exception. Her humor manages to combine the social insights of Jane Austen with the laugh out loud absurdity of P. G. Wodehouse. In the aftermath of WWII, laughing at Hitler and his followers seemed about as inappropriate as basing a sitcom on Osama bin Laden, but part of the fascination of this book is its glimpse into the thoughts of a world before the catastrophes of the Holocaust.
In plot and tone WIGS ON THE GREEN is more similar to Nancy's first two frothy, fast-paced novels, HIGHLAND FLING and CHRISTMAS PUDDING, than it is to her later more serious novels, The PURSUIT OF LOVE and LOVE IN A COLD CLIMATE. Though the later novels are considered her masterpieces, to me they ramble and I enjoy her early, breathlessly funny books more. The political bent of WIGS ON THE GREEN gives it a greater heft than her other early novels, so fans of Nancy's later work may appreciate it more than her first, more purely fanciful books.
Most of the action in WIGS ON A GREEN takes place in and around the small village of Chalford where Anne-Marie Lace, the Local Beauty, fights boredom by assuming the role of patroness and muse for the town's meager, mercenary artist colony. Lady Marjorie is hiding out, thinly disguised as a commoner, with her friend Poppy while she tries to decide what to do about the duke she just jilted. Work-weary Noel Foster and his freeloading friend Jasper Aspect, based on Nancy's difficult husband Peter Rodd, are both scheming to marry the village's wealthy, politically obsessed heiress. This fanatic heiress, Eugenia Malmain, was inspired by Nancy's sister Unity, who by all accounts was an amazing and paradoxical force of nature.
When Nancy had Eugenia climb on an overturned washtub in Chalford's village green to exhort the locals to awake, and save the diminishing prestige of Britain by joining the Union Jackshirt party, it was before anyone knew about the tragedies to come. At the time Unity's obsession with Hitler and fascism just seemed like a great joke to Nancy, and she couldn't resist what she saw as good material for her book.
The chance to get a little more insight into Unity Valkyrie Mitford will make WIGS ON THE GREEN irresistible to fans of the Mitford sisters. Unity was a beautiful, intense, larger than life girl, who wore a pet snake around her neck at debutant balls. She became a great admirer of Hitler and through determination and persistence she managed to meet him and become part of his inner circle of friends. In her published letters to her sisters she refers to him as her dear sweet Führer. She shot herself in the head when England and Germany went to war, and died of her wounds in 1948.
As shocking as that all sounds, the people who knew Unity adored her. Jessica, the communist Mitford sister, spent most of her life refusing to speak to Diana, the Mitford sister married to British Union of Fascists leader Oswald Mosley. But no one in the family, including Jessica, could ever bring themselves to cut Unity out of their life.
The five star rating is mainly for those fascinated by the Mitford sisters, but I would still give WIGS ON THE GREEN at least four stars, even for people who have never heard of the Mitford family.
Nancy's determination to always find something ironic or funny in even the worst situations makes for wonderful reading and this book is no exception. Her humor manages to combine the social insights of Jane Austen with the laugh out loud absurdity of P. G. Wodehouse. In the aftermath of WWII, laughing at Hitler and his followers seemed about as inappropriate as basing a sitcom on Osama bin Laden, but part of the fascination of this book is its glimpse into the thoughts of a world before the catastrophes of the Holocaust.
In plot and tone WIGS ON THE GREEN is more similar to Nancy's first two frothy, fast-paced novels, HIGHLAND FLING and CHRISTMAS PUDDING, than it is to her later more serious novels, The PURSUIT OF LOVE and LOVE IN A COLD CLIMATE. Though the later novels are considered her masterpieces, to me they ramble and I enjoy her early, breathlessly funny books more. The political bent of WIGS ON THE GREEN gives it a greater heft than her other early novels, so fans of Nancy's later work may appreciate it more than her first, more purely fanciful books.
Most of the action in WIGS ON A GREEN takes place in and around the small village of Chalford where Anne-Marie Lace, the Local Beauty, fights boredom by assuming the role of patroness and muse for the town's meager, mercenary artist colony. Lady Marjorie is hiding out, thinly disguised as a commoner, with her friend Poppy while she tries to decide what to do about the duke she just jilted. Work-weary Noel Foster and his freeloading friend Jasper Aspect, based on Nancy's difficult husband Peter Rodd, are both scheming to marry the village's wealthy, politically obsessed heiress. This fanatic heiress, Eugenia Malmain, was inspired by Nancy's sister Unity, who by all accounts was an amazing and paradoxical force of nature.
When Nancy had Eugenia climb on an overturned washtub in Chalford's village green to exhort the locals to awake, and save the diminishing prestige of Britain by joining the Union Jackshirt party, it was before anyone knew about the tragedies to come. At the time Unity's obsession with Hitler and fascism just seemed like a great joke to Nancy, and she couldn't resist what she saw as good material for her book.
The chance to get a little more insight into Unity Valkyrie Mitford will make WIGS ON THE GREEN irresistible to fans of the Mitford sisters. Unity was a beautiful, intense, larger than life girl, who wore a pet snake around her neck at debutant balls. She became a great admirer of Hitler and through determination and persistence she managed to meet him and become part of his inner circle of friends. In her published letters to her sisters she refers to him as her dear sweet Führer. She shot herself in the head when England and Germany went to war, and died of her wounds in 1948.
As shocking as that all sounds, the people who knew Unity adored her. Jessica, the communist Mitford sister, spent most of her life refusing to speak to Diana, the Mitford sister married to British Union of Fascists leader Oswald Mosley. But no one in the family, including Jessica, could ever bring themselves to cut Unity out of their life.
The five star rating is mainly for those fascinated by the Mitford sisters, but I would still give WIGS ON THE GREEN at least four stars, even for people who have never heard of the Mitford family.
October 16, 2017
All in all, this was a lightly entertaining story in which 2 friends of the monied class in early 1930s Britain (Noel Foster and Jasper Aspect, a glib character and shameless sponger) conspired to marry 2 wealthy heiresses while taking a break from London one summer.
June 1, 2020
Utterly delightful!
March 11, 2023
"Write what you know" is certainly easier for an author when she comes from a family of nutters. The Mitford sisters (all six of them) certainly set the bar for familial dysfunction, in ways other reviewers here have covered in detail. I was drawn to this book by the fact that it's set up as a satire of Nancy's eldest sister Diana, who famously hitched her wagon to Britain's pre-WWII wannabe Hitler, Oswald Mosley.
The setup: two young men -- a rake and a stuffed shirt -- summer in the mid-1930s Cotswolds in search of rich heiresses to woo. They run across (among other horrors) Eugenia Malmains, the wayward daughter of the ultra-rich Malmains dynasty, who has become besotted with the Union Jackshirt movement. Many hijinks ensue.
The author is clearly capable of building and telling a story. Her descriptions are vivid and her dialog works well in the story's milieu, though perhaps not in real life. Her characters don't have much depth (not unusual in this particular genre) but are at least well-defined enough to keep straight when they pop up.
I expected an insider political satire of interwar British fascism and got a third-generation Xerox of a Wodehousian country farce. The story isn't about the Jackshirts and the absurdities of political extremism in a rich and comfortable nation; it's about the absurdities of recreational courtship in search of financial gain. This subject has been heavily in rotation since Jane Austen; sadly, the author doesn't do anything original with it. The variety of cracked characters, female and male, are so demented and so typey that it's hard to care about any of them. Eugenia -- who's supposed to be the craziest of the lot -- ends up being the most interesting and sensible one. The story takes flight only when she appears on her nag Vivian Jackson and begins ordering about the hapless bystanders. If this sounds to you like a Jeeves story without Jeeves...well, you see the problem clearly.
Wigs on the Green is a fluffy social comedy in the vein of Waugh and Wodehouse, but without the sophistication. Had a Mitford not written this book, then suppressed it from publication for decades, it likely would be a period oddity nearly forgotten by time. But a Mitford did write it, and the Mitfords are a minor industry now, so here it is. Approach it with lowered expectations and you'll likely get a few giggles out of it. Just don't expect to learn anything about either English society or politics, no matter what's written on the back cover.
The setup: two young men -- a rake and a stuffed shirt -- summer in the mid-1930s Cotswolds in search of rich heiresses to woo. They run across (among other horrors) Eugenia Malmains, the wayward daughter of the ultra-rich Malmains dynasty, who has become besotted with the Union Jackshirt movement. Many hijinks ensue.
The author is clearly capable of building and telling a story. Her descriptions are vivid and her dialog works well in the story's milieu, though perhaps not in real life. Her characters don't have much depth (not unusual in this particular genre) but are at least well-defined enough to keep straight when they pop up.
I expected an insider political satire of interwar British fascism and got a third-generation Xerox of a Wodehousian country farce. The story isn't about the Jackshirts and the absurdities of political extremism in a rich and comfortable nation; it's about the absurdities of recreational courtship in search of financial gain. This subject has been heavily in rotation since Jane Austen; sadly, the author doesn't do anything original with it. The variety of cracked characters, female and male, are so demented and so typey that it's hard to care about any of them. Eugenia -- who's supposed to be the craziest of the lot -- ends up being the most interesting and sensible one. The story takes flight only when she appears on her nag Vivian Jackson and begins ordering about the hapless bystanders. If this sounds to you like a Jeeves story without Jeeves...well, you see the problem clearly.
Wigs on the Green is a fluffy social comedy in the vein of Waugh and Wodehouse, but without the sophistication. Had a Mitford not written this book, then suppressed it from publication for decades, it likely would be a period oddity nearly forgotten by time. But a Mitford did write it, and the Mitfords are a minor industry now, so here it is. Approach it with lowered expectations and you'll likely get a few giggles out of it. Just don't expect to learn anything about either English society or politics, no matter what's written on the back cover.
March 14, 2016
I think this may be the Mitford novel that cured my desire to read any more of her fiction. I really liked The Pursuit of Love, I like Love in a Cold Climate less, I really didn't like Don't Tell Alfred, and I found Wigs on the Green tedious. You would imagine a bunch of toffs exclaiming what a lark this book is.
March 1, 2022
3, 4 sobre cinco estrellas. Nancy Mitford es una autora que me gusta mucho, y que nunca defrauda, con la que me lo paso muy bien mientras tengo un libro suyo en sus manos. Es muy divertida, y a la vez da en el clavo con sus sátiras de una manera deliciosamente malévola. Además, crea novelas muy fáciles de leer, por lo frescas y sencillas que son, aunque no sean tan simplonas como puedan parecer a primera vista, hay mucho escondido en ellas, sabe exponer en ellas una mirada irónica y certera sobre la sociedad y el mundo en que vivió.
“Trifulca a la Vista” parte de una premisa muy conocida en la literatura: un grupo de desconocidos coincide en un pequeño y convencional pueblo inglés de mitad del siglo XX. Se trata de gente joven que lleva al lugar los aires del cambio que se respiran en la Europa de la época, apunto de entrar en la segunda guerra mundial, y en la que los totalitarismos están en pleno auge. En primer lugar tenemos a dos amigos, Noel Foster y el canalla de Jasper Aspect, Que han llegado al lugar en busca de una rica heredera con la que desposarse. En su punto de mira estarán tres jóvenes: Eugenia, rica heredera de unos condes afincados en el lugar, y acérrima seguidora del movimiento de las camisas tricolores y su líder, el capitán Jack; y en segundo lugar lady Marjorie, que huye de su compromiso con un noble junto a su amiga, Poppy Saint Julien, cuyo marido quiere que se divorcie de él para poder casarse con otra. Así pues nos encontramos ante una historia de romances e intrigas amorosas, aderezada con una critica hacia el fascismo, y amenizada con los tejemanejes de un grupo de jóvenes que solo tienen el amor como medio de entretenimiento, y de las gentes del vecindario del pueblo, algo muy típico de este tipo de novelas.
Normalmente nunca leo las introducciones de los libros, siempre suelo dejarlas para el final. Es una costumbre que tengo desde hace muchos años, y que con este libro he roto después de mucho tiempo. Y me alegro, porque creo que es una introducción sin grandes spoilers del libro (no sabéis como he agradecido esto) que me ha permitido disfrutar más de la novela, ya que permite entender la postura de Nancy respecto al fascismo y la vida en general, especialmente el matrimonio y el amor. Y esto hace más fácil entender y disfrutar lo que escribe, ver las capas que esconde toda esa frivolidad e ironía que se esconde tras las tramas aparentemente simples y los personajes extravagantes . Y, además, (y eso es muy importante) introduce al lector sobre la situación familiar de Nancy y su relación con sus hermanas Diana y Unity, las cuales fueron fervivientes defensoras del fascismo. Diana dejo a su primer marido para casarse con Oswald Mosley, principal figura fascista de la Inglaterra de la época y fuente de inspiración para el mil veces nombrado capitán Jack. Y Unity directamente fue miembro del circulo más intimo de Hitler, tratando de suicidarse cuando su país y Alemania entraron en guerra y viviendo el resto de sus días postrada en la cama por las secuelas de la intentona. (y a todo esto había una cuarta hermana, Jessica, que era una reconocida comunista que se fugó con un primo de Churchill a la Guerra Civil española . Recomiendo muchísimo leer su libro de memorias “ Nobles y Rebeldes”. Si os animáis buscad información del clan Mitford. Resulta muy curioso ver cómo eran, se trataba de una de esas familias en las que la realidad supera la ficción).
Centrándonos en lo que es la novela, en ella encontramos algunas de las señas de identidad de Nancy Mitford como autora. Ha sido raro leer sobre gente que no fueran la familias Radlett y Montdore, ya que la trilogía que protagonizaron ha sido lo único que he leído de esta autora hasta la fecha. Al igual que con ellos, en el libro que nos ocupa, choca los frívolos que pueden llegar a ser sus personajes, y la forma en que no se toman nada en serio, muchas veces ni ellos mismos. Quizás la única excepción es Eugenia, que se pasa toda la santa novela hablando del fascismo y del capitán Jack y defendiendo sus ideales, y todo esto es relatada con un tono de burla y condescendencia que hace que te cueste tomártelo en serio y no puedas evitar hasta reírte a veces. Por este tamiz de sátira también pasan la vida en un pueblo de la campiña inglesa (donde vida está teñida de una monotonia plácida y aburrida, pero, como no, es un microcosmos donde hay sus pequeños dramas para amenizarlo todo) y los desvaríos de la nobleza inglesa,representados por la abuela de Eugenia, que ha vivido recluida desde que su nuera se divorcio de su hijo, tal era la vergüenza que tenia la buena mujer a tal ofensa. Para mí una de las mejores cosas que ha tenido esta historia ha sido la presentación de un sanatorio dedicado única y exclusivamente a nobles y que está construido y estructurado a imagen y semejanza del parlamento inglés. Ha sido una de las partes de las novelas con las que más me reído y con las que más he disfrutado.
Quizás en este libro no lo he visto tanto como en la trilogía que mencionó anteriormente, pero en este trabajo, también nos habla de un mundo que se está extinguiendo, de una sociedad que sé es que está siendo comida por los tiempos en los que le toca vivir. Y sus integrantes, no dejan de ser figuras que luchan por seguir con el único estilo de vida que conoce. Y por ello, aunque sean personajes frívolos y lindantes, que va muy a lo suyo, en algunos de ellos no puedes evitar ver que tienen en su interior mucho más de lo que sus actos y lo que dicen nos demuestran, que no son ciegos al mundo en el que viven. Ahí reposa la gran tragedia de esta novela, y donde recae lo ridiculo a que pueden llegar a ser. En eso y en la manera en que es representado el fascismo, como algo exaltado y ridículo, pero que puede llevar a la gente a ser peligrosa y malvada.
No obstante, para mi ha sido una novela con dos grandes problemas que me ha dejado con la impresión de que es una novela que no ha terminado de despegar. Y es por eso que solo puedo darle tres estrellas, algo que me da mucha pena si tengo en cuenta lo mucho que disfrutado de obras anteriores de la autora.
En primer lugar, me ha faltado más contundencia en la critica hacia el fascismo. Esto es comprensible, porque la novela se publicó en 1935, años antes de que estallase la segunda guerra mundial y de que Europa se conmocionaste por los horrores de los campos de concentración y el holocausto. Y como se señala en el prologo, Mitford, al menos en lo aparente, no sabe como tomar en serio algo, ni siquiera a si misma. El fascismo se satiriza y ridiculiza de forma contundente, si, pero me ha faltado fuerza en esa critica. Creo que porque en esa época aún no se percibía los horrores que iba a traer consigo, y muchos (Mitford incluida) estaban total o parcialmente de acuerdo con esta ideología. Y también creo que no favorece nada lo que se dice en la introducción, que Mitford, para aplacar a sus familiares, suprimió varios capítulos en los que se trataba en profundidad la figura del capitán Jack (y yo me he quedado con muchas ganas de poder leer esos capítulos). O quizás fuera porque el cariño que sentía por sus hermanas, y muy especialmente por Unity impedía que Nancy pudiera ser implacable mente crítica con el fascismo. Es como que la intención está ahí, pero la autora no hace nada por llevarla a buen puerto totalmente. Y creo que todo eso se ve muy bien en el personaje de Eugenia.La tía es muy pesada, a veces se me hacía muy densa. Si lo hubiera tenido delante de mí, seguramente me hubieran dado ganas de darla un bofetón. Y aún así hay algo en ella que resulta adorable y que es imposible que sea totalmente odiosa.
En segundo lugar, me he quedado con la impresión de que el libro no lleva a ninguna parte en lo concerniente a los personajes. Y por ellos, tampoco lleva a ninguna parte en cuanto a argumento. En ninguno de los caracteres que protagonizan la historia he percibido la más mínima evolución, y , posiblemente debido a los frívolos que resultan, parece que todas las cosas que les acontecen no han dejado una huella especial en ellos. Han cambiado varias cosas, pero ellos siguen manteniéndose exactamente igual. En eso también tiene mucho que ver que el libro empiece y acabe con la misma escena, uno de los personajes en su puesto de trabajo. De todas formas, aunque estos personajes tienen personalidades muy bien definidas y bastantes dosis de carisma, a todos ellos les he notado un tanto lejanos mientras leía sobre ellas, no he podido conectar con casi ninguno, aunque la mayoría me hayan hecho reír en algún momento. Los únicos que realmente me han llamado la atención han sido Jasper y Eugenia.
Por todo ello, creo que en esos aspectos, la novela cojea un poco.
Me ha gustado especialmente como de algo tan simple Nancy logra hacer una lectura que fluye muy bien y que se disfruta totalmente. Y lo que he dicho antes, hay en ella mucha más miga de lo que puede parecer a simple vista. Me ha hecho especialmente ilusión acabarla porque era el último libro relacionado con las hermanas Mitford que quería leerme antes de meterme en faena con una biografía de la editorial Circe sobre ellas que tengo pendiente desde hace muchos años, y que confío poder leer a lo largo de este 2022. Es una lectura que espero con ansia y que confío me ayudará mejor a entender el mundo y la forma de verlo de Nancy sus hermanas. Aunque en ese sentido, creo que “Trifulca a la Vista“ es una lectura muy esclarecedora. Tanto de esto como del contexto histórico en el que vivieron.
“Trifulca a la Vista” parte de una premisa muy conocida en la literatura: un grupo de desconocidos coincide en un pequeño y convencional pueblo inglés de mitad del siglo XX. Se trata de gente joven que lleva al lugar los aires del cambio que se respiran en la Europa de la época, apunto de entrar en la segunda guerra mundial, y en la que los totalitarismos están en pleno auge. En primer lugar tenemos a dos amigos, Noel Foster y el canalla de Jasper Aspect, Que han llegado al lugar en busca de una rica heredera con la que desposarse. En su punto de mira estarán tres jóvenes: Eugenia, rica heredera de unos condes afincados en el lugar, y acérrima seguidora del movimiento de las camisas tricolores y su líder, el capitán Jack; y en segundo lugar lady Marjorie, que huye de su compromiso con un noble junto a su amiga, Poppy Saint Julien, cuyo marido quiere que se divorcie de él para poder casarse con otra. Así pues nos encontramos ante una historia de romances e intrigas amorosas, aderezada con una critica hacia el fascismo, y amenizada con los tejemanejes de un grupo de jóvenes que solo tienen el amor como medio de entretenimiento, y de las gentes del vecindario del pueblo, algo muy típico de este tipo de novelas.
Normalmente nunca leo las introducciones de los libros, siempre suelo dejarlas para el final. Es una costumbre que tengo desde hace muchos años, y que con este libro he roto después de mucho tiempo. Y me alegro, porque creo que es una introducción sin grandes spoilers del libro (no sabéis como he agradecido esto) que me ha permitido disfrutar más de la novela, ya que permite entender la postura de Nancy respecto al fascismo y la vida en general, especialmente el matrimonio y el amor. Y esto hace más fácil entender y disfrutar lo que escribe, ver las capas que esconde toda esa frivolidad e ironía que se esconde tras las tramas aparentemente simples y los personajes extravagantes . Y, además, (y eso es muy importante) introduce al lector sobre la situación familiar de Nancy y su relación con sus hermanas Diana y Unity, las cuales fueron fervivientes defensoras del fascismo. Diana dejo a su primer marido para casarse con Oswald Mosley, principal figura fascista de la Inglaterra de la época y fuente de inspiración para el mil veces nombrado capitán Jack. Y Unity directamente fue miembro del circulo más intimo de Hitler, tratando de suicidarse cuando su país y Alemania entraron en guerra y viviendo el resto de sus días postrada en la cama por las secuelas de la intentona. (y a todo esto había una cuarta hermana, Jessica, que era una reconocida comunista que se fugó con un primo de Churchill a la Guerra Civil española . Recomiendo muchísimo leer su libro de memorias “ Nobles y Rebeldes”. Si os animáis buscad información del clan Mitford. Resulta muy curioso ver cómo eran, se trataba de una de esas familias en las que la realidad supera la ficción).
Centrándonos en lo que es la novela, en ella encontramos algunas de las señas de identidad de Nancy Mitford como autora. Ha sido raro leer sobre gente que no fueran la familias Radlett y Montdore, ya que la trilogía que protagonizaron ha sido lo único que he leído de esta autora hasta la fecha. Al igual que con ellos, en el libro que nos ocupa, choca los frívolos que pueden llegar a ser sus personajes, y la forma en que no se toman nada en serio, muchas veces ni ellos mismos. Quizás la única excepción es Eugenia, que se pasa toda la santa novela hablando del fascismo y del capitán Jack y defendiendo sus ideales, y todo esto es relatada con un tono de burla y condescendencia que hace que te cueste tomártelo en serio y no puedas evitar hasta reírte a veces. Por este tamiz de sátira también pasan la vida en un pueblo de la campiña inglesa (donde vida está teñida de una monotonia plácida y aburrida, pero, como no, es un microcosmos donde hay sus pequeños dramas para amenizarlo todo) y los desvaríos de la nobleza inglesa,representados por la abuela de Eugenia, que ha vivido recluida desde que su nuera se divorcio de su hijo, tal era la vergüenza que tenia la buena mujer a tal ofensa. Para mí una de las mejores cosas que ha tenido esta historia ha sido la presentación de un sanatorio dedicado única y exclusivamente a nobles y que está construido y estructurado a imagen y semejanza del parlamento inglés. Ha sido una de las partes de las novelas con las que más me reído y con las que más he disfrutado.
Quizás en este libro no lo he visto tanto como en la trilogía que mencionó anteriormente, pero en este trabajo, también nos habla de un mundo que se está extinguiendo, de una sociedad que sé es que está siendo comida por los tiempos en los que le toca vivir. Y sus integrantes, no dejan de ser figuras que luchan por seguir con el único estilo de vida que conoce. Y por ello, aunque sean personajes frívolos y lindantes, que va muy a lo suyo, en algunos de ellos no puedes evitar ver que tienen en su interior mucho más de lo que sus actos y lo que dicen nos demuestran, que no son ciegos al mundo en el que viven. Ahí reposa la gran tragedia de esta novela, y donde recae lo ridiculo a que pueden llegar a ser. En eso y en la manera en que es representado el fascismo, como algo exaltado y ridículo, pero que puede llevar a la gente a ser peligrosa y malvada.
No obstante, para mi ha sido una novela con dos grandes problemas que me ha dejado con la impresión de que es una novela que no ha terminado de despegar. Y es por eso que solo puedo darle tres estrellas, algo que me da mucha pena si tengo en cuenta lo mucho que disfrutado de obras anteriores de la autora.
En primer lugar, me ha faltado más contundencia en la critica hacia el fascismo. Esto es comprensible, porque la novela se publicó en 1935, años antes de que estallase la segunda guerra mundial y de que Europa se conmocionaste por los horrores de los campos de concentración y el holocausto. Y como se señala en el prologo, Mitford, al menos en lo aparente, no sabe como tomar en serio algo, ni siquiera a si misma. El fascismo se satiriza y ridiculiza de forma contundente, si, pero me ha faltado fuerza en esa critica. Creo que porque en esa época aún no se percibía los horrores que iba a traer consigo, y muchos (Mitford incluida) estaban total o parcialmente de acuerdo con esta ideología. Y también creo que no favorece nada lo que se dice en la introducción, que Mitford, para aplacar a sus familiares, suprimió varios capítulos en los que se trataba en profundidad la figura del capitán Jack (y yo me he quedado con muchas ganas de poder leer esos capítulos). O quizás fuera porque el cariño que sentía por sus hermanas, y muy especialmente por Unity impedía que Nancy pudiera ser implacable mente crítica con el fascismo. Es como que la intención está ahí, pero la autora no hace nada por llevarla a buen puerto totalmente. Y creo que todo eso se ve muy bien en el personaje de Eugenia.La tía es muy pesada, a veces se me hacía muy densa. Si lo hubiera tenido delante de mí, seguramente me hubieran dado ganas de darla un bofetón. Y aún así hay algo en ella que resulta adorable y que es imposible que sea totalmente odiosa.
En segundo lugar, me he quedado con la impresión de que el libro no lleva a ninguna parte en lo concerniente a los personajes. Y por ellos, tampoco lleva a ninguna parte en cuanto a argumento. En ninguno de los caracteres que protagonizan la historia he percibido la más mínima evolución, y , posiblemente debido a los frívolos que resultan, parece que todas las cosas que les acontecen no han dejado una huella especial en ellos. Han cambiado varias cosas, pero ellos siguen manteniéndose exactamente igual. En eso también tiene mucho que ver que el libro empiece y acabe con la misma escena, uno de los personajes en su puesto de trabajo. De todas formas, aunque estos personajes tienen personalidades muy bien definidas y bastantes dosis de carisma, a todos ellos les he notado un tanto lejanos mientras leía sobre ellas, no he podido conectar con casi ninguno, aunque la mayoría me hayan hecho reír en algún momento. Los únicos que realmente me han llamado la atención han sido Jasper y Eugenia.
Por todo ello, creo que en esos aspectos, la novela cojea un poco.
Me ha gustado especialmente como de algo tan simple Nancy logra hacer una lectura que fluye muy bien y que se disfruta totalmente. Y lo que he dicho antes, hay en ella mucha más miga de lo que puede parecer a simple vista. Me ha hecho especialmente ilusión acabarla porque era el último libro relacionado con las hermanas Mitford que quería leerme antes de meterme en faena con una biografía de la editorial Circe sobre ellas que tengo pendiente desde hace muchos años, y que confío poder leer a lo largo de este 2022. Es una lectura que espero con ansia y que confío me ayudará mejor a entender el mundo y la forma de verlo de Nancy sus hermanas. Aunque en ese sentido, creo que “Trifulca a la Vista“ es una lectura muy esclarecedora. Tanto de esto como del contexto histórico en el que vivieron.
February 1, 2019
This is Mitford’s third novel published in 1935 and pokes fun at her future brother-in-law Sir Oswald Mosley, leader of the British Union of Fascists, something that caused a rift between Nancy and her sister Diana although Nancy toned down some sections before publication. The book opens with Noel Foster, a young man working in a stockbroker’s firm, who comes into a small legacy and decides to leave his job and marry an heiress. In this he enlists the help of his old pal Japser Aspect, despite knowing that the latter will sponge off him in the process. Jasper takes him to the village of Chalford, home of among others, Eugenia Malmains, an heiress but also a devoted member of the Union Jackshirts (modelled on Nancy’s other sister Unity), working at the cause of spreading social unionism in the country. She lives with her grandparents—her grandfather is ill while her grandma is pretty clueless about what “society” is like any longer, or for that matter what her granddaughter is up to. At Chalford, things turn out differently from what they expected, with Noel being smitten by the local beauty Mrs Lace, and a couple of ladies Miss Smith and Miss Jones (obviously under assumed names) coming to stay at the Jolly Roger (where the two young men are also staying), and soon enough there’s a comic web of romances, matchmaking, and a dash of politics. At the pub also appear two detectives, and the young people try to discover which of them are the target.
While a fun enough novel, this wasn’t my favourite Mitford. Eugenia, despite her fervour, comes across (as she was meant to) as comical (something on the lines of Wodehouse’s Roderick Spode and the Black Shorts), but one can’t help thinking back to the actual extent that this fervour took the real people that the book was based on. I enjoyed the humour and the rather hilarious pageant in which the whole story culminates, which for Eugenia is a rally for the cause of the social unionists but which her grandmother continues to believe is an innocent entertainment, even when there is an actual clash with the Pacifists right in the middle. The book had some very Wodehousian touches which I also enjoyed. However, unlike in her other novels, I didn’t really take to any of the characters, though I enjoyed their eccentricities. A pleasant read but not as much fun for me as many of Mitford’s other books.
While a fun enough novel, this wasn’t my favourite Mitford. Eugenia, despite her fervour, comes across (as she was meant to) as comical (something on the lines of Wodehouse’s Roderick Spode and the Black Shorts), but one can’t help thinking back to the actual extent that this fervour took the real people that the book was based on. I enjoyed the humour and the rather hilarious pageant in which the whole story culminates, which for Eugenia is a rally for the cause of the social unionists but which her grandmother continues to believe is an innocent entertainment, even when there is an actual clash with the Pacifists right in the middle. The book had some very Wodehousian touches which I also enjoyed. However, unlike in her other novels, I didn’t really take to any of the characters, though I enjoyed their eccentricities. A pleasant read but not as much fun for me as many of Mitford’s other books.
Read
July 30, 2020A farcical time capsule of a book. Very much rooted in its time.
June 13, 2018
Entretenida y loca comedia de enredos, donde destacan de forma magistral las burlas a costa del movimiento fascista ingles y, en especial, el capitulo dedicado al manicomio para nobles chalados
June 11, 2011
In the introduction to "Wigs on the Green", Charlotte Mosley writes the reasons for Nancy Mitford's third novel not being reissued until after her death. Nancy largely based the character of Eugenia on her sister Unity and she peppered her story with references of divorce which greatly upset her other sister Diana, who divorced her first husband to become the full time mistress of BUF leader Sir Oswald Mosley.
Despite the objections and injured feelings of her sisters, her novel was still published. The story centers around two cads, Noel and Jasper. Noel's aunt has recently died and left him with a small inheritance which he decides to use in order to find an heiress to marry and live the rest of his days in leisure. He stupidly boasts of this fact to his scheming friend Jasper who says he will help, but only if Noel fronts his expenses.
What follows is a summer holiday in a small village where an heiress and child of scandal Eugenia Malmains has turned of age and is ripe for marriage. But when they find her they discover she is not in the lease bit interested in marriage or boys, her only passion in life is the Union Jackshirt movement and reclaiming England to its former glory through the means of fascism. Add to that a runaway bride her beautiful friend who has had it with her louse of a husband and the town's aging beauty and the stage is set for romance and mischief.
Eugenia is so passionate about her love of the Union Jackshirt movement that she's all mouth and action and absolutely lacks the tact or finesse needed to pass off the movement as anything other than what it is, a group of dangerous lunatics.
I found the lighthearted banter about Aryans somewhat uncomfortable, but then again I wasn't alive in 1935 living in a country on edge over the possibility of another war with Germany. I would like to have know what the readers of the novel in its day thought about the blase attitude presented within it's pages. Politics aside, Mitford takes sharp aim at how society was changing and how something as once scandalous as a divorce was starting to lose its shame factor.
One of the reasons why I love Nancy Mitford's work so much is because she captured and preserved an England that is quickly becoming lost in today's one world culture movement brought to you by technology.
Despite the objections and injured feelings of her sisters, her novel was still published. The story centers around two cads, Noel and Jasper. Noel's aunt has recently died and left him with a small inheritance which he decides to use in order to find an heiress to marry and live the rest of his days in leisure. He stupidly boasts of this fact to his scheming friend Jasper who says he will help, but only if Noel fronts his expenses.
What follows is a summer holiday in a small village where an heiress and child of scandal Eugenia Malmains has turned of age and is ripe for marriage. But when they find her they discover she is not in the lease bit interested in marriage or boys, her only passion in life is the Union Jackshirt movement and reclaiming England to its former glory through the means of fascism. Add to that a runaway bride her beautiful friend who has had it with her louse of a husband and the town's aging beauty and the stage is set for romance and mischief.
Eugenia is so passionate about her love of the Union Jackshirt movement that she's all mouth and action and absolutely lacks the tact or finesse needed to pass off the movement as anything other than what it is, a group of dangerous lunatics.
I found the lighthearted banter about Aryans somewhat uncomfortable, but then again I wasn't alive in 1935 living in a country on edge over the possibility of another war with Germany. I would like to have know what the readers of the novel in its day thought about the blase attitude presented within it's pages. Politics aside, Mitford takes sharp aim at how society was changing and how something as once scandalous as a divorce was starting to lose its shame factor.
One of the reasons why I love Nancy Mitford's work so much is because she captured and preserved an England that is quickly becoming lost in today's one world culture movement brought to you by technology.
July 24, 2016
Well it took me a month to read 170 pages. The part I liked best was the introduction, which gave a brief biography of the author and her family. This was written in 1934 and the author never wanted it to be reprinted because she makes light of people starting to support Hitler's political party. I can understand her misgivings because as good as the writing was, when Hitler was spoken of as a "good fellow" it took me completely out of the story. Would still be interested in other things Mrs. Mitford wrote, but this one was rough for me.
Read
January 18, 2015E Wein: Basically, the thing I like BEST to read is early 20th century chick lit.
Sara: Is that a thing?
E Wein: It wasn’t called chick lit till the 1990s or whatever, but that’s DEFINITELY what this is. It’s like chick lit only it’s better written and the clothes are more stylish.
Sara: That’s what you should read, then.
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Quite frankly, I found Pigeon Pie much more disturbing and cringeworthy in its politics than Wigs on the Green, which is just plain silly. Despite Mitford’s protests to her sisters at the time of publication, and despite her own clear devotion to the British aristocracy and the English countryside, I feel that she is laughing up her sleeve at the ridiculousness of Fascism the whole way through this story.
But it’s not really about Fascism. That subject is just a vehicle for a goony drawing room comedy. And I did enjoy the comedy.
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“Nobody ought to write books before they’re thirty. I hate precocity.” - Jasper Aspect
Sara: Is that a thing?
E Wein: It wasn’t called chick lit till the 1990s or whatever, but that’s DEFINITELY what this is. It’s like chick lit only it’s better written and the clothes are more stylish.
Sara: That’s what you should read, then.
--------------------
Quite frankly, I found Pigeon Pie much more disturbing and cringeworthy in its politics than Wigs on the Green, which is just plain silly. Despite Mitford’s protests to her sisters at the time of publication, and despite her own clear devotion to the British aristocracy and the English countryside, I feel that she is laughing up her sleeve at the ridiculousness of Fascism the whole way through this story.
But it’s not really about Fascism. That subject is just a vehicle for a goony drawing room comedy. And I did enjoy the comedy.
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“Nobody ought to write books before they’re thirty. I hate precocity.” - Jasper Aspect
February 9, 2019
3.5 stars
September 22, 2021
I think it helps to know a bit of the Mitford history while reading this book. It’s essentially a humorous ripping apart of her sisters - both fascist. One, Diana, married to Lord Gammon himself, Oswald Moseley, and the other, Unity, so in love with Hitler that she tried (and failed) to kill herself with a gunshot at the outbreak of war.
The sisters monumentally fell out after this book was published, as you would, at the not-so-subtle lancing of their morally devoid, selective-history based, anti-Semitic nationalistic fascist rubbish.
As for the book. It’s a nice light and humourous read based around the organising and executing of a pageant in a Cotswold Village. It’s very much in Nancy Mitford’s classic and well-observed style. And while not laugh out loud funny - it certainly had it’s moments.
There’s an excellent disclaimer from Penguin at the start of this book - that the language used is not acceptable now and it was not acceptable then, but hasn’t been changed so as not to deny history. That’s important, as to deny these idiots existed in the 30s rather helps us forget what nationalistic bollocks could lead to now.
The sisters monumentally fell out after this book was published, as you would, at the not-so-subtle lancing of their morally devoid, selective-history based, anti-Semitic nationalistic fascist rubbish.
As for the book. It’s a nice light and humourous read based around the organising and executing of a pageant in a Cotswold Village. It’s very much in Nancy Mitford’s classic and well-observed style. And while not laugh out loud funny - it certainly had it’s moments.
There’s an excellent disclaimer from Penguin at the start of this book - that the language used is not acceptable now and it was not acceptable then, but hasn’t been changed so as not to deny history. That’s important, as to deny these idiots existed in the 30s rather helps us forget what nationalistic bollocks could lead to now.
August 3, 2022
A lighthearted romp through 1930s English sensibilities. I wonder what Unity made of her portrait as the leader of the Union Jack Shirts?
February 10, 2017
Depending on your attitude, it’s either wildly inappropriate or absolutely hilarious that I was listening to Nancy Mitford’s Wigs on the Green concurrently with the podcast, My Dad Wrote a Porno. If you’ve experienced both, you’ll appreciate that the frequent mentions of hedge mazes, manicured lawns, horses and duchesses are quite similar in one sense… and also very much not. Anyway, the important thing is that both made me laugh. A lot.
There’s a juicy back-story to Wigs on the Green, notably that the novel was truly about Nancy’s two Fascist sisters, Unity and Diana, and that the relationship between Nancy and her sisters imploded after its publication (I really should read The Mitford Girls, which has been languishing on my TBR stack for over a decade). Nancy never allowed the novel to be printed after WWII, on the basis that jokes about Nazis were not funny in any context. And obviously they’re not, yet the elements of the story related to class and marriage are sharp and very, very funny.
‘Marriage is a great bore. Chaps’ waistcoats lying around in one’s bedroom and so on. It gets one down in time.’
At the centre of Wigs is an heiress, Eugenia – she’s a staunch advocate of ‘social unionism’ and her grandparents are keen to find her a suitable husband. Along comes world-weary Noel Foster and his scheming friend Jasper Aspect, both in search of a meal-ticket. Add a Lady disguised as a commoner; the local beauty who behaves well above her station; and a grand scheme to hold a pageant – and in the tradition of satires, all sorts of shenanigans ensue.
It’s abundantly clear why Nancy’s relationship with her sisters was fractured after the publication of the book – she mercilessly pokes fun at politics and those involved –
“Under the social unionist regime,” said Jasper, “your captain should make a law that all really beautiful houses must be preserved and occupied… so many are being destroyed – allowed to stand derelict or worst of all, handed over to the proletariat, turned into piss-cart counters and ice-cream booths. That is too ignoble. Beautiful houses ought to be a setting for beautiful women, their lovers and perhaps a few frail but exquisite little children.”
‘That evening, Mr Leader was dragged from his bed by masked men wearing Union Jack shirts and flung into an adjacent duck pond. As the weather was extremely hot, he took no chill and suffered nothing worse than a little mortification and the loss of his eau de Nil pyjama trousers’
And there’s no question as to what Nancy’s stance is – ‘When you find school girls like Eugenia going mad for something you can be pretty sure it’s nonsense.’ But politics aside, Wigs of the Green shows off Mitford’s razor-sharp wit, wicked caricatures and snappy dialogue.
Like any good satire, Wigs culminates in a great, final fiasco – horses bolting, pageant costumes gone awry, and couples stealing across lawns at midnight. Jolly good fun.
4/5 Irresistible froth.
There’s a juicy back-story to Wigs on the Green, notably that the novel was truly about Nancy’s two Fascist sisters, Unity and Diana, and that the relationship between Nancy and her sisters imploded after its publication (I really should read The Mitford Girls, which has been languishing on my TBR stack for over a decade). Nancy never allowed the novel to be printed after WWII, on the basis that jokes about Nazis were not funny in any context. And obviously they’re not, yet the elements of the story related to class and marriage are sharp and very, very funny.
‘Marriage is a great bore. Chaps’ waistcoats lying around in one’s bedroom and so on. It gets one down in time.’
At the centre of Wigs is an heiress, Eugenia – she’s a staunch advocate of ‘social unionism’ and her grandparents are keen to find her a suitable husband. Along comes world-weary Noel Foster and his scheming friend Jasper Aspect, both in search of a meal-ticket. Add a Lady disguised as a commoner; the local beauty who behaves well above her station; and a grand scheme to hold a pageant – and in the tradition of satires, all sorts of shenanigans ensue.
It’s abundantly clear why Nancy’s relationship with her sisters was fractured after the publication of the book – she mercilessly pokes fun at politics and those involved –
“Under the social unionist regime,” said Jasper, “your captain should make a law that all really beautiful houses must be preserved and occupied… so many are being destroyed – allowed to stand derelict or worst of all, handed over to the proletariat, turned into piss-cart counters and ice-cream booths. That is too ignoble. Beautiful houses ought to be a setting for beautiful women, their lovers and perhaps a few frail but exquisite little children.”
‘That evening, Mr Leader was dragged from his bed by masked men wearing Union Jack shirts and flung into an adjacent duck pond. As the weather was extremely hot, he took no chill and suffered nothing worse than a little mortification and the loss of his eau de Nil pyjama trousers’
And there’s no question as to what Nancy’s stance is – ‘When you find school girls like Eugenia going mad for something you can be pretty sure it’s nonsense.’ But politics aside, Wigs of the Green shows off Mitford’s razor-sharp wit, wicked caricatures and snappy dialogue.
Like any good satire, Wigs culminates in a great, final fiasco – horses bolting, pageant costumes gone awry, and couples stealing across lawns at midnight. Jolly good fun.
4/5 Irresistible froth.
March 15, 2019
I have enjoyed everything Nancy Mitford has written and I consider her an important writer and a very interesting person who had a fascinating life. This novel is an aberration; it's as bad, and vile, in a clumsy and deceitful manner, as Celine's hateful racist comments are blunt, and exemplify blind stupid rage. Mitford delivers anti-Jewish hatred in the form of a farce: a plodding, badly written, deadly dull, deeply stupid, ignorant, cruel and offensive one. She never renounced the actual racist ideology of the book, but merely said, in a letter to Waugh, that she had no idea of the death camps, when she wrote the book in the early days of Hitler's Nazi Party. She presents all the typical reasons that Hitler had a following in other countries: sweep away the old dead ways, fight socialism, protect industry, Aryan racial supremacy, national spirit etc. The well-known violent ethos and actions of fascism and Nazi-fascism are presented in a joking manner with cutesy marching anthems and jokes.
Eugenia is based on her sister Unity, who was in love with Hitler, and had a delusional fantasy that England would submit to Nazi rule and then shot herself in the head when war was declared, and remained in a permanent invalid/mad Lady state for the rest of her brief life. Contrary to the main GR blurb and to what many reviewers and apologists believe, Eugenia is not being satirized, nor is the Nazi-style movement she's a part of, based on Oswald Moseley's fascist group. Eugenia is presented as a high-spirited, well-liked, aristocratic, patriotic young lady who convinces her friends in the story to become fascists. The fascists are actually made to be victims, after being attacked by their enemies, the "Pacifists". I have no doubt that Mitford herself was entranced by what she heard of the Nazis, and so wrote this piece of insane propaganda, to present their ideas in a more palatable way to the English middle-upper class reading public.
From p. 305 (Complete Novels [Penguin]): speaking about "Social Unionist" posters:
"...the one on Mr Isaac's house promises that all Jews will be sent to live in Jerusalem the Golden with milk and honey blest..."
She tries to dress up the deportation fantasy by implying that is what the Jews themselves have been praying for all these centuries.
From p.320
"But today has been wonderful. I was able to keep a non-Aryan family from getting into my carriage at Oxford simply by showing my little emblem [Swastika] and drawing my dagger..."
The novel exposes how deeply-rooted and acceptable the most violent racism was in England at the time, when light-hearted novels about fascism were published by best-selling writers.
Eugenia is based on her sister Unity, who was in love with Hitler, and had a delusional fantasy that England would submit to Nazi rule and then shot herself in the head when war was declared, and remained in a permanent invalid/mad Lady state for the rest of her brief life. Contrary to the main GR blurb and to what many reviewers and apologists believe, Eugenia is not being satirized, nor is the Nazi-style movement she's a part of, based on Oswald Moseley's fascist group. Eugenia is presented as a high-spirited, well-liked, aristocratic, patriotic young lady who convinces her friends in the story to become fascists. The fascists are actually made to be victims, after being attacked by their enemies, the "Pacifists". I have no doubt that Mitford herself was entranced by what she heard of the Nazis, and so wrote this piece of insane propaganda, to present their ideas in a more palatable way to the English middle-upper class reading public.
From p. 305 (Complete Novels [Penguin]): speaking about "Social Unionist" posters:
"...the one on Mr Isaac's house promises that all Jews will be sent to live in Jerusalem the Golden with milk and honey blest..."
She tries to dress up the deportation fantasy by implying that is what the Jews themselves have been praying for all these centuries.
From p.320
"But today has been wonderful. I was able to keep a non-Aryan family from getting into my carriage at Oxford simply by showing my little emblem [Swastika] and drawing my dagger..."
The novel exposes how deeply-rooted and acceptable the most violent racism was in England at the time, when light-hearted novels about fascism were published by best-selling writers.
February 16, 2019
In the preface, Charlotte Mosley quotes Nancy Mitford's opinion on whether or not Wigs on the Green should be reprinted in the 1950s: "Too much has happened for jokes about Nazis to be regarded as funny...."
Mosley goes on to argue that this is no longer true, and that the historical interest of the book makes it worthwhile. I can't agree. I also can't agree that the book is in any way a "send-up" of fascism or even vaguely anti-fascist. P.G. Wodehouse's Sir Roderick Spode is a send-up of fascism--a character that makes both himself and his movement look ridiculous. When it comes to Wigs on the Green, I have to agree with Nancy Mitford's own assessment, written in a letter to her virulently pro-fascist sister: "I still maintain that it is far more in favour of fascism than otherwise. Far the nicest character in the book is a Fascist, and the others all become much nicer as soon as they have joined up."
Mitford may not have been a fascist, but she clearly had some sympathy with fascism at the time she wrote the novel. Her novel doesn't ridicule fascism itself; it ridicules people who happen to be fascists. It has an enormous amount of sympathy for their views and treats the truly ugly sides of fascism as though they were harmless idiosyncrasies (as when Eugenia gives a speech urging newly married characters to begin filling their spare rooms with "healthy Aryan babies"). Even in 1936, it would have made me squirm. In 2018, it's well nigh unreadable. If this were a serious treatment of fascism and the reasons people are seduced by it, I would feel differently about the novel overall. But it isn't. It's a comedy of manners starring fascists. I'd say it does more to normalize fascism than to satirize it.
Mosley goes on to argue that this is no longer true, and that the historical interest of the book makes it worthwhile. I can't agree. I also can't agree that the book is in any way a "send-up" of fascism or even vaguely anti-fascist. P.G. Wodehouse's Sir Roderick Spode is a send-up of fascism--a character that makes both himself and his movement look ridiculous. When it comes to Wigs on the Green, I have to agree with Nancy Mitford's own assessment, written in a letter to her virulently pro-fascist sister: "I still maintain that it is far more in favour of fascism than otherwise. Far the nicest character in the book is a Fascist, and the others all become much nicer as soon as they have joined up."
Mitford may not have been a fascist, but she clearly had some sympathy with fascism at the time she wrote the novel. Her novel doesn't ridicule fascism itself; it ridicules people who happen to be fascists. It has an enormous amount of sympathy for their views and treats the truly ugly sides of fascism as though they were harmless idiosyncrasies (as when Eugenia gives a speech urging newly married characters to begin filling their spare rooms with "healthy Aryan babies"). Even in 1936, it would have made me squirm. In 2018, it's well nigh unreadable. If this were a serious treatment of fascism and the reasons people are seduced by it, I would feel differently about the novel overall. But it isn't. It's a comedy of manners starring fascists. I'd say it does more to normalize fascism than to satirize it.
July 13, 2012
I am a huge fan of Nancy Mitford's novels, and enjoyed this as a fun summer distraction (when the temperature was 110 in my area!). That said, it was a bit too silly for my taste.
I love Wodehouse's Bertie Wooster;
I enjoy Evelyn Waugh's clever send-ups of British society;
I like wit and sarcasm, BUT this was troweled on a bit too thick for my taste. That doesn't mean I didn't chuckle, but somehow I expected more from Nancy Mitford.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the book is that one of the main characters was based on Mitford's impressionable younger sister, Unity. A Hitler acolyte, Unity was immersed in the Nazi movement as a very young girl and Nancy chose to satirize her in this book. Whatever we may think of Unity, it also speaks volumes about Nancy Mitford that she would expose the frailties (and or eccentricities) of her young sister in this way. It is hard to believe that she wrote this and then told Unity that she would be "very happy with it."
So, in its unique way, this silly book is an important part of British social history. It points out the tolerence of many upper class Brits for Fascism and also sheds additional light on the fascinating Mitford girls.
I love Wodehouse's Bertie Wooster;
I enjoy Evelyn Waugh's clever send-ups of British society;
I like wit and sarcasm, BUT this was troweled on a bit too thick for my taste. That doesn't mean I didn't chuckle, but somehow I expected more from Nancy Mitford.
Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the book is that one of the main characters was based on Mitford's impressionable younger sister, Unity. A Hitler acolyte, Unity was immersed in the Nazi movement as a very young girl and Nancy chose to satirize her in this book. Whatever we may think of Unity, it also speaks volumes about Nancy Mitford that she would expose the frailties (and or eccentricities) of her young sister in this way. It is hard to believe that she wrote this and then told Unity that she would be "very happy with it."
So, in its unique way, this silly book is an important part of British social history. It points out the tolerence of many upper class Brits for Fascism and also sheds additional light on the fascinating Mitford girls.
June 15, 2014
I enjoyed this novel, but not as much as her later works. However, there were some hysterical witty quips and farcical send-ups that made this a most enjoyable read. I think that, due to it being set in a small country town, there was not the same sense of satirical observations of the upper classes that Mitford is so good at in her later novels. It is also a much smaller book conceptually, because it focuses on small middle-class characters with few eccentricities, and is set in a small town. After reading her later novels where the English countryside, London, Paris and rural France are frequent destinations, Wigs on the Green seemed like a smaller novel comparatively. You can certainly see, once reading a few of her novels, that her writing style continues to get better and better, and her confidence grows with the realization of the strengths in her writing.
Not my favourite Mitford, but still a fantastic read.
Not my favourite Mitford, but still a fantastic read.
February 22, 2016
I first encountered the expression “wigs on the green” in a Downton Abbey episode. I loved the expression so much, I googled the etymology (it’s an Irish version of “going to the mattresses”) and the title of this novel popped up. I knew something about the Mitford sisters, but didn’t know the oldest (and apparently the only apolitical) daughter had been a novelist. On closer inspection I realized that I was familiar with one of her post war titles (Love in a Cold Climate) but this one had been published in 1935, poking fun at the her sister Unity, and her sister Diane’s soon-to-be-second-husband Oswald Mosley.
It’s a little frothy, which I suppose is to be expected in an English comedy of manners, and had enough humor to be worth reading on its own. It’s probably not, however, as interesting as the author.
It’s a little frothy, which I suppose is to be expected in an English comedy of manners, and had enough humor to be worth reading on its own. It’s probably not, however, as interesting as the author.
November 23, 2014
Me puse a leer Trifulca a la vista porque otro libro de la autora, A la caza del amor, me había gustado muchísimo, sin embargo este no ha estado a la altura. Quizá también ha influido el halo de misterio que rodea a las obras prohibidas y que crea unas expectativas que luego no se cumplen, pero el libro me ha parecido correcto sin más: a ratos ingenioso, a ratos divertido y a veces (las partes del nazismo) totalmente desconcertante.
December 10, 2016
Sharper than a tack--funny too!
I loved this gossipy frolic. My first time with Nancy Mitford left me more than impressed with her ability to shed light onto the hysterical tedium of truly first-world problems.
Can't wait to check out more.
I loved this gossipy frolic. My first time with Nancy Mitford left me more than impressed with her ability to shed light onto the hysterical tedium of truly first-world problems.
Can't wait to check out more.
February 20, 2023
This ‘satire’ of British Nazis is anemic! There are a few mildly amusing passages, but overall the book says nothing clever or insightful about Nazis. The author just found them rather ridiculous & their opponents just as bad. Unfortunate!
July 5, 2021
mnjaa. see oli mul viimane veel lugemata Nancy Mitfordi ilukirjanduslik teos, sest seda pole olnud just ülemäära lihtne hankida, ja lugedes on muidugi selge, kuidas selle avaldamisega on läinud nagu on. ilmselgelt sai aastal 1935 fašistide üle - vähemalt Inglismaal - veel nalja teha, aga järgnevad päris mitukümmend aastat polnud see teema enam kuigi naljakas.
praegu lugedes on siin muigamise kohti küll - nagu ikka, pilab Mitford väga vaimukalt just seda ühiskonnaklassi ja tausta, kust ta ise pärit on - aga tema parematele raamatutele jääb see ikkagi alla. jant käib tegelikult tavapärasel moel raha ja abiellumise ümber; peategelasteks on kaks noormeest, kes loodavad kosida rikkad pärijannad, et ei peaks tööga raha teenima. aga vaba daami otsinguil leiavad nad Eugenia Malmaini, kes on kirglik Union Jackshirtsi nimelise poliitilise liikumise toetaja. ja nagu ikka Mitfordil, ei lase noormehed end sellest eriti kõigutada ja teevad kogu natsitsirkuse kaasa, nagu ka kogu muu külarahvas.
Mitfordide perekonnaloo tundmine tuleb siin kasuks, mulle tundub, et Eugenia tegelaskuju on Dianast ja Unityst üsna pooleks kokku pandud. pole ime, et õed sellise aasimise peale nördisid. samas tahaks siinkohal küll öelda, et kes hiljem naeris, naeris paremini. nii ta läheb jah, kogu aeg sulle tundub, et mingid üksikud klounid vehivad oma imelike ülevõlliloosungitega, aga siis järsku on maailmasõda lahti ja kõik lubadused viiaksegi täide, kes ahju ja kes kuhu.
mul on hea meel, et ma selle raamatu hangitud ja loetud sain, aga otseselt soovitada ei julge kellelegi peale suurimate Mitfordi-fännide.
praegu lugedes on siin muigamise kohti küll - nagu ikka, pilab Mitford väga vaimukalt just seda ühiskonnaklassi ja tausta, kust ta ise pärit on - aga tema parematele raamatutele jääb see ikkagi alla. jant käib tegelikult tavapärasel moel raha ja abiellumise ümber; peategelasteks on kaks noormeest, kes loodavad kosida rikkad pärijannad, et ei peaks tööga raha teenima. aga vaba daami otsinguil leiavad nad Eugenia Malmaini, kes on kirglik Union Jackshirtsi nimelise poliitilise liikumise toetaja. ja nagu ikka Mitfordil, ei lase noormehed end sellest eriti kõigutada ja teevad kogu natsitsirkuse kaasa, nagu ka kogu muu külarahvas.
Mitfordide perekonnaloo tundmine tuleb siin kasuks, mulle tundub, et Eugenia tegelaskuju on Dianast ja Unityst üsna pooleks kokku pandud. pole ime, et õed sellise aasimise peale nördisid. samas tahaks siinkohal küll öelda, et kes hiljem naeris, naeris paremini. nii ta läheb jah, kogu aeg sulle tundub, et mingid üksikud klounid vehivad oma imelike ülevõlliloosungitega, aga siis järsku on maailmasõda lahti ja kõik lubadused viiaksegi täide, kes ahju ja kes kuhu.
mul on hea meel, et ma selle raamatu hangitud ja loetud sain, aga otseselt soovitada ei julge kellelegi peale suurimate Mitfordi-fännide.
August 9, 2018
0,3 estrellas
Polémica Wigs on the Green (Trifulca a la vista).
Esta novela (mi primera acercamiento con Mitford) inspirada en su entorno familiar y en su hermana Unity La "Nazi" que es un fiel bosquejo de la protagonista, no podía ser más que incomoda e inapropiada en su tiempo.
Nancy Mitford ve humor y situaciones cómicas donde no las hay. Esta cargada de situaciones insulsas y personajes pedántes y decadentes. Personalmente encuentro que es una novela más bien mediocre.
Le di tres estrellas por que Nancy sabe escribir y a pesar de lo sosa que es la trama, me fue posible finalizar la novela sin odiar a su autora.
("No puedes publicarlo de ninguna manera, así que más vale que no pierdas el tiempo con él", le escribió Unity a Nancy),
Polémica Wigs on the Green (Trifulca a la vista).
Esta novela (mi primera acercamiento con Mitford) inspirada en su entorno familiar y en su hermana Unity La "Nazi" que es un fiel bosquejo de la protagonista, no podía ser más que incomoda e inapropiada en su tiempo.
Nancy Mitford ve humor y situaciones cómicas donde no las hay. Esta cargada de situaciones insulsas y personajes pedántes y decadentes. Personalmente encuentro que es una novela más bien mediocre.
Le di tres estrellas por que Nancy sabe escribir y a pesar de lo sosa que es la trama, me fue posible finalizar la novela sin odiar a su autora.
("No puedes publicarlo de ninguna manera, así que más vale que no pierdas el tiempo con él", le escribió Unity a Nancy),
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