The Virginians by William Makepeace Thackeray

First published: 1857-1859, serial; 1858, 1859, book

Type of work: Novel

Type of plot: Historical

Time of plot: Late eighteenth century

Locale: England and the colony of Virginia

Principal characters

• George and Harry Warrington, the Virginians
• Rachel Esmond Warrington, their mother
• George Washington, a family friend
• Lord Castlewood, an English kinsman
• Maria Esmond, Lord Castlewood’s sister
• Baroness Bernstein, Rachel Warrington’s half sister and formerly Beatrix Esmond
• Colonel Lambert, a friend
• Theo Lambert, Colonel Lambert’s daughter and George’s wife
• Hetty Lambert, Colonel Lambert’s other daughter
• Fanny Mountain Warrington, Harry’s wife

The Story:

Although Harry and George Warrington are twins, George is declared the heir to their father’s estate by virtue of having been born half an hour before his brother. Both are headstrong lads, greatly pampered by their widowed mother, Rachel Esmond Warrington, who manages her Virginia estate, Castlewood, much as she managed the mansion in the old country. She never lets her sons forget their high birth, and she herself had dropped the name of Warrington in favor of her birth name, Esmond, so that everyone would remember her noble rank. Rachel is a dictator on her plantation, and although she is respected by many, she is loved by few.

Harry and George are trained according to the place and the time. They learn to ride, to shoot, and to gamble like gentlemen, but they have little formal education other than a small knowledge of Latin and French. Their mother hopes they might pattern themselves after Colonel George Washington, who is their neighbor and her close friend. Harry worships Washington from his youth to his death, but George and Colonel Washington are never to be friends.

When General Braddock arrives from England to command the English troops in the war against the French, Washington and George join his forces. Although Harry is a better soldier, George represents the family because of his position as elder son. Braddock is defeated, and George is reported captured and killed by the French. George’s mother blames Washington for not guarding her son, and Washington is no longer welcome at Castlewood.

Upon George’s death, Harry becomes the heir, and his mother sends him to visit his relatives in England. There he meets his mother’s kinsman, Lord Castlewood; her half sister, Baroness Bernstein; and Will, Maria, and Fanny Esmond, his cousins. Of all of his relatives, only Baroness Bernstein is fond of him. Harry and Will are enemies from their first meeting, and the rest of the family thinks him a savage and tolerate him only because he will some day inherit the estate in Virginia. Harry thinks he is in love with Maria, who is his mother’s age, and sends her many gifts and passionate letters declaring himself hers and asking for her hand in marriage.

Harry is the toast of the country. He spends money lavishly on fine clothes and horses and at first wins thousands of pounds at cards; but when his luck turns and he loses all of his money, most of his former friends have only unkind words for him. Matters become so desperate that he is jailed for his debts, and Baroness Bernstein is the only one of his relatives who offers to help him. Nevertheless, there is a string attached to her offer. She is violently opposed to his intended marriage to Maria and will pay his debts only if he promises to break his word to that lady. Although Harry is tired of Maria, he feels it beneath a gentleman of his position to break his word, and he refuses the Baroness’s help under her conditions. He would rather remain in prison.

There his brother George finds him. George escaped from the French after eighteen months in prison and returned to his home in Virginia, where he and his mother decided that he, too, should visit England. He pays his brother’s debts, and the two boys have a joyful reunion. Harry now has to return to his status as younger brother, and George assumes his place as heir to Castlewood in Virginia.

Before Harry’s imprisonment and George’s arrival in England, Harry made the acquaintance of Colonel Lambert and his family. There were two daughters, Theo and Hetty, whom the twin brothers found charming. Theo and George fell in love, and after overcoming her father’s objections, they were married. At first, they lived in poverty, for George spent all of his money to rescue Harry from debtors’ prison and to buy for him a commission in the army. For a time, George’s only income is from two tragedies he wrote, one a success and the other a failure.

Shortly after Harry receives his commission, he joins General Wolfe and sails for America to fight the French in the colonies. Maria releases him from his promise to her, and he gladly takes leave of his English relatives. About this time, George inherits a title and an estate from an unexpected source. Sir Miles Warrington, his father’s brother, dies; and young Miles Warrington, the only male heir, is killed in an accident; therefore, the title and the estate fall to George. He and Theo now live in comparative luxury. They travel extensively, and one day they decide to visit George’s mother and brother in Virginia.

When they arrive in America, they find the colonies to be in a state of unrest. The colonists are determined not to pay all the taxes that the British Crown levied against them, and there is much talk of war. There is also trouble at Castlewood. Harry marries Fanny Mountain, the daughter of his mother’s housekeeper, and his mother refuses to accept the girl. Harry moves to his own smaller estate, but there is a great tension among the members of the family. George and Theo and their mother are loyal to the king. Harry becomes a true Virginian and follows General Washington into battle. Despite their different loyalties, the brothers remain friends.

Shortly before the end of the war, George and Theo return to England. Although they are grieved at the outcome of the war, it makes little difference in their lives. Harry visits them in England after the death of his wife, but their mother never again leaves Virginia. George and Theo try to persuade Hetty to marry Harry, whom she once loved deeply, but she refuses to leave her widowed father. The only departure from their quiet life comes when Lord Castlewood tries to steal Castlewood in Virginia from their mother after her deed and title are burned during the war. George, however, is able to prevent the fraud and save the estate. Intending never to leave England again, he renounces his right to the Virginia land. Harry returns to Virginia, where he is made a general, to live out his life at Castlewood in the company of his mother. The brothers are destined never to meet again, but their love for each other goes with them throughout their lives.

Bibliography

Clarke, Micael M. Thackeray and Women. DeKalb: Northern Illinois University Press, 1995. Examines Thackeray’s life, novels, and other works from a feminist-sociological perspective to analyze his treatment of female characters, demonstrating how his writings critique the position of women in Western culture. Includes bibliographical references and an index.

Colby, Robert Alan. “The Virginians: The Old World and the New.” In Thackeray’s Canvass of Humanity. Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 1979. Contextual analysis of the novel focusing on its origin and the stage it represents in Thackeray’s development as a writer. Includes an interesting discussion of Thackeray’s portrayal of George Washington.

Fisher, Judith L. Thackeray’s Skeptical Narrative and the “Perilous Trade” of Authorship. Burlington, Vt.: Ashgate, 2002. An analysis of Thackeray’s narrative techniques, describing how he sought to create a “kind of poised reading which enables his readers to integrate his fiction into their life.”

Harden, Edgar F. The Emergence of Thackeray’s Serial Fiction. Athens: University of Georgia Press, 1979. Discusses the serial structure of five novels, including The Virginians, with focus upon manuscripts and the composition process. Explains how the novels were shaped in view of the fact that they were written in serial installments.

‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. Thackeray the Writer: From Journalism to “Vanity Fair.” New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1998.

‗‗‗‗‗‗‗. Thackeray the Writer: From “Pendennis” to “Denis Duval.” New York: Macmillan, 2000. Two-volume biography chronicling Thackeray’s development as a writer, beginning with his experiences as a book reviewer and culminating in the creation of Vanity Fair. Traces how Thackeray became an increasingly perceptive social observer.

Monsarrat, Ann. “The Virginians.” In An Uneasy Victorian: Thackeray the Man. New York: Dodd, Mead, 1980. Engaging and lucid account of Thackeray’s painstaking work to bring back heroes of his previous novels in The Virginians. Recommended for the researcher who already has some knowledge of Thackeray’s works.

Ray, Gordon. Thackeray. 2 vols. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1955-1958. Biography of Thackeray includes thoughtful essays on the novels. The era and background of the author also are discussed.

Williams, Joan M. Thackeray. New York: Arco, 1969. Brief but lucid exposition of the novel. Excellent starting point for a beginning study of Thackeray’s writings.