Lavengro · Chapter
XLI explained
The Review fails after four months, and the narrator struggles to get paid by the publisher, who belittles him and cancels his best works.
What happens
The Review fails after four months, and the narrator struggles to get paid by the publisher, who belittles him and cancels his best works. Taggart advises him on authorship and snuff.
Themes in this chapter
Philology and Learning
The narrator's pride in his ballads and versions from Ab Gwilym contrasts with the drudgery of writing lives and trials for the publisher.
Social Class and Gentility
The publisher's contempt for the narrator's work and the low status of authors who write for reviews highlight class and professional hierarchies.
Characters to notice
- Lavengro
The narrator reflects on the failure of the Review, his financial struggles, and his conversation with Taggart about authorship.
- Taggart
A silent, snuff-taking colleague who offers the narrator advice on authorship and the value of snuff.
- The Master of the House
The publisher who becomes increasingly furious, pays the narrator in long-dated bills, and cancels his best works.
Key passages
“Time passed away, and with it the Review, which, contrary to the publisher’s expectation, did not prove a successful speculation.”
The Review failed after a few months, disappointing the publisher.
Opening sentence summarizing the Review's demise.
“Sir, said the publisher, I believe you to be extravagant; yes, sir, extravagant!”
The publisher accused the narrator of being wasteful with money.
The publisher criticizes the narrator for eating meat instead of bread alone.
“To write something grand, said Taggart, taking snuff; to be stared at—lifted on people’s shoulders—”
Taggart defined authorship as creating something impressive and gaining public acclaim.
Taggart's definition of true authorship contrasts with the narrator's current drudgery.