Lavengro · Chapter
XIX explained
The narrator reflects on the passage of time and the illusions of youth, contrasting the swiftness of time in happy periods with its stagnation in times of disillusionment.
What happens
The narrator reflects on the passage of time and the illusions of youth, contrasting the swiftness of time in happy periods with its stagnation in times of disillusionment. He describes his early professional life as a law clerk, where he studied both Blackstone and the Welsh poet Ab Gwilym. He recounts his work in a lawyer's office, his habit of judging people by their faces rather than their dress, and his employer's admonition to be more discerning. The chapter introduces several visitors to the office, including an ancient earl, a wealthy yeoman, and the poet Parkinson.
Themes in this chapter
Philology and Learning
The narrator studies both Blackstone's legal commentaries and Ab Gwilym's Welsh poetry, showing his passion for languages and learning despite his legal duties.
Social Class and Gentility
The narrator's employer is a gentleman lawyer of the old school, and the chapter contrasts the treatment of a wealthy baronet versus a poor poet, highlighting class distinctions.
Honor and Morality
The narrator uses his own moral judgment to decide who to admit to the office, valuing honesty over appearance, which leads to conflict with his employer.
Characters to notice
- Lavengro
Reflects on time, youth, and his early career as a law clerk; studies Blackstone and Ab Gwilym; admits to judging people by their faces.
- The Master of the House
The narrator's employer, a respectable gentleman lawyer of the old school, kind and rotund, with a bald head and creaking shoes.
- Mr. Parkinson
A poet who frequently visits the office, dressed in a snuff-colored greatcoat and carrying a cudgel, seeking to consult on a common assault case.
- Ab Gwilym
The Welsh poet whose works the narrator studies alongside Blackstone; mentioned in the context of the narrator's dual interests.
Key passages
“It has been said by this or that writer, I scarcely know by whom, that, in proportion as we grow old, and our time becomes short, the swifter does it pass”
An unnamed writer claimed that as we age and our remaining time diminishes, time seems to accelerate.
Opening reflection on the perception of time's passage.
“I speedily became a proficient in the one, but ever remained a novice in the other: a novice in the law, but a perfect master in the Welsh tongue.”
I quickly mastered Welsh but stayed a beginner in law.
The narrator contrasts his skill in language with his lack of legal expertise.
“This will never do, said he to me one day; you will make me a bankrupt, unless you alter your conduct.”
My employer warned that my behavior would ruin his business if I didn't change.
The master scolds the narrator for turning away a wealthy client while admitting a poet.