Lavengro · Chapter
Chapter LV explained
The narrator, alone and nearly destitute, resolves to write a tale or novel to earn money.
What happens
The narrator, alone and nearly destitute, resolves to write a tale or novel to earn money. After considering various subjects, including the highwaymen Jemmy Abershaw and Harry Simms, he contemplates writing about Colonel B——, a notorious historical figure. Ultimately, he decides to create a fictitious narrative, 'The Life and Adventures of Joseph Sell, the Great Traveller,' and spends the night planning the work.
Themes in this chapter
Freedom vs. Convention
The narrator rejects writing about fashionable life or relying on others for material, choosing instead to create an original fictitious narrative on his own terms.
Adventure and Roving
The narrator considers writing about highwaymen and a daring colonel, and ultimately plans a tale of a great traveller, reflecting a preoccupation with adventurous lives.
Characters to notice
- Lavengro
The narrator, alone in his lodging, resolves to write a tale or novel to escape his financial difficulties.
- Jasper Petulengro
Mentioned as having suggested the life of Jemmy Abershaw as a profitable subject for a book.
Key passages
“I must do something, said I, as I sat that night in my lonely apartment, with some bread and a pitcher of water before me.”
Sitting alone at night with only bread and water, the narrator feels compelled to take action.
Opening lines establishing the narrator's desperate circumstances.
“I had better have nothing to do with Colonel B⸺, thought I, but boldly and independently sit down and write the life of Joseph Sell.”
The narrator decides against adapting the story of Colonel B—— and instead chooses to invent a completely original character, Joseph Sell.
Key moment of creative decision, emphasizing independence.