The Last Chronicle of Barset · Chapter
Mrs. Dobbs Broughton Piles Her Fagots explained
Mrs.
What happens
Mrs. Dobbs Broughton's household is shrouded in gloom as her husband grows sullen and tipsy, and business troubles loom. Conway Dalrymple continues painting Clara Van Siever's portrait in secret, while Mrs. Broughton indulges in romantic melodrama, oscillating between jealousy and a resolve to sacrifice herself. She falls asleep during a sitting, then awakens to deliver a theatrical speech urging Dalrymple to marry Clara and rule her, before dismissing him.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Marriage
Mrs. Broughton's romantic fantasies clash with the reality of her marriage; Dalrymple contemplates marrying Clara Van Siever.
Gossip and Public Opinion
The secret portrait sittings and the household gloom hint at potential scandal and public perception.
Social Class and Reputation
Mrs. Broughton's concern with carriage, horses, and sham jewels reflects her reliance on appearances to maintain social standing.
Characters to notice
- Mrs. Dobbs Broughton
Piles her fagots of romantic melodrama, oscillating between jealousy and self-sacrifice, as she presides over the secret portrait sittings.
- Conway Dalrymple
Continues painting Clara Van Siever's portrait, growing weary of Mrs. Broughton's theatrical demands while contemplating marriage to Clara.
- Clara Van Siever
Sits for her portrait, the object of Dalrymple's growing affection and Mrs. Broughton's conflicted emotions.
- Mr. Dobbs Broughton
Mentioned as coming home sullen and sometimes tipsy, contributing to the gloom in the household.
- Augustus Musselboro
Mentioned as having power to make things unpleasant for the Broughtons, along with Mrs. Van Siever.
- Mrs. Van Siever
Mentioned as having power to make things unpleasant for the Broughtons, along with Mr. Musselboro.
Key passages
“She felt herself to be a woman misunderstood and ill-used; and to some women there is nothing so charming as a little mild ill-usage, which does not interfere with their creature comforts, with their clothes, or their carriage, or their sham jewels; but suffices to afford them the indulgence of a grievance.”
Mrs. Broughton enjoys feeling persecuted as long as her material comforts remain intact, finding pleasure in a mild grievance.
Highlights her self-indulgent romanticism and detachment from real hardship.
“It is the hardship of men that when called upon by women for romance, they are bound to be romantic, whether the opportunity serves them or does not.”
Men are socially obliged to respond with romance when women demand it, even if the timing is inconvenient.
Reflects the gendered expectations of romantic performance in Victorian society.
“Love her. Cleave to her. Make her flesh of your flesh and bone of your bone. But rule her! Yes, rule her! Let her be your second self, but not your first self. Rule her. Love her. Cleave to her.”
Mrs. Broughton advises Dalrymple to both cherish and dominate Clara, embodying a contradictory ideal of marital love and control.
Captures her theatrical advice and the Victorian tension between affection and authority in marriage.