News from Nowhere · Chapter
XXII: Hampton Court and a Praiser of Past Times explained
The narrator, Dick, and Clara journey up the Thames, stopping at Hampton Court for dinner and a stroll through its ancient rooms.
What happens
The narrator, Dick, and Clara journey up the Thames, stopping at Hampton Court for dinner and a stroll through its ancient rooms. They continue to Runnymede, where an old man invites them to his flower-filled cottage. Over supper, the old man praises the competitive spirit of past ages and the literature it produced, sparking a debate with Ellen, who passionately defends the present world of beauty, meaningful work, and direct experience over the 'loathsome' books of the past.
Themes in this chapter
Art and Beauty in Everyday Life
The chapter contrasts the beauty of Hampton Court, the flower garden, and the river with the old man's nostalgia for past literature, while Ellen argues that the present world itself—its buildings, gardens, and work—is the true book of beauty.
Critique of Industrial Capitalism
Ellen criticizes past literature for depicting heroes and heroines living happily on 'other people's troubles,' implicitly condemning the competitive, exploitative society that produced such works.
Pleasure in Work
Dick's delight in rowing and his anticipation of mowing grass, along with Ellen's reference to building beautiful structures, emphasize the joy of productive physical labor.
Characters to notice
- Guest
The narrator enjoys the river journey and the beauty of Hampton Court, and is deeply impressed by Ellen's passionate defense of the present age.
- Dick
Dick rows the boat with tireless strength, expresses a preference for the open countryside over parks, and listens uncomfortably to the old man's praise of past times.
- Clara
Clara admires Dick's beauty, suggests stopping at Hampton Court, and later listens with restless excitement to the debate, showing her engagement with the old man's views.
- Ellen
Ellen delivers a passionate speech defending the present world of beauty, work, and direct experience, criticizing past literature for its focus on sham troubles and neglect of the poor.
- Greylocks
The old man (Greylocks) invites the party to his cottage, praises the competitive spirit and literature of past times, and questions the value of the present age's contentment.
Key passages
“I almost felt my youth come back to me, and as if I were on one of those water excursions which I used to enjoy so much in days when I was too happy to think that there could be much amiss anywhere.”
The narrator feels a resurgence of youthful joy as they glide along the Thames, reminiscent of carefree pre-Change outings.
Highlights the narrator's nostalgic connection to the river and the contrast between past and present happiness.
“There is a spirit of adventure in them, and signs of a capacity to extract good out of evil which our literature quite lacks now; and I cannot help thinking that our moralists and historians exaggerate hugely the unhappiness of the past days, in which such splendid works of imagination and intellect were produced.”
The old man argues that past literature, born from competition, had a vitality and ability to find good in evil that modern writing lacks, and that historians overstate the misery of those times.
Captures the old man's defense of the competitive past and his critique of the present's perceived lack of literary vigor.
“Look! these are our books in these days!—and these... and the guest there, with his oversea knowledge and experience;—yes, and even you, grandfather... with all your grumbling and wishing yourself back again in the good old days.”
Ellen gestures to the moonlit garden, the lovers, the guest, and even the old man himself, declaring that the living world and its people are the true books of the present age.
Ellen's central rebuttal: direct experience and human connection replace the need for fictional literature.
