World’s End · Chapter
IV explained
This chapter details the rise of Sternhold Baskette's massive property development in Stirmingham, known as 'Baskette's Folly' or 'The Rookery,' and the subsequent efforts by the Corporation to lease and develop the land.
What happens
This chapter details the rise of Sternhold Baskette's massive property development in Stirmingham, known as 'Baskette's Folly' or 'The Rookery,' and the subsequent efforts by the Corporation to lease and develop the land. It also covers the publication of a biography exaggerating Sternhold's wealth, his miserly reputation, and his financial struggles despite owning vast amounts of property.
Themes in this chapter
Wealth and Poverty
Sternhold Baskette is portrayed as immensely wealthy in property yet living in near-poverty, unable to complete his projects and eating only bread and cheese.
Deception and Corruption
The chapter details rumors of secret pay to thieves to oppose construction, bribery of masons to build poorly, and the Corporation's manipulation of legal processes for private gain.
Madness and Obsession
Sternhold's relentless drive to build his 'marble Rome' despite financial ruin and his refusal to borrow money suggest an obsessive, almost mad, fixation.
Characters to notice
- Sternhold Baskette
The central figure of the chapter, a miserly capitalist who owns vast property in Stirmingham but lives frugally and struggles to complete his developments.
- Romy Baskette
Mentioned as having purchased a fine country house in the suburbs for Sternhold, which is let rather than used.
Key passages
“Like Augustus, he had found it brick, and left it marble.”
Sternhold transformed the area from a rough, unfinished state into a magnificent development, akin to Augustus's transformation of Rome.
This simile emphasizes the scale and ambition of Sternhold's building project.
“Give a dog a bad name and hang him. Call a man a miser, and, if he is so inclined, he can roll in borrowed money, dine every day on presents of game and fish, and marry anyone he chooses.”
Having a reputation as a miser can actually be advantageous, as people believe you are wealthy and treat you accordingly.
The narrator reflects on the social benefits of being labeled a miser, despite Sternhold's actual poverty.