Synthesized answer
The publisher places Disraeli's literary period alongside Dickens, Bulwer, Thackeray, and Scott [2]. "Vivian Grey" is described as a marvelously true picture of the life and character of an interesting period of English history [1]. The novel features "living characters... who charm us with their graceful manners and general air of being people of consequence" [1]. It specifically captures "the exact tone of the English drawing-room" [1].
While the passages highlight Disraeli's portrayal of social life and "living characters" with graceful manners, they do not provide specific details about the typical social commentary or characterizations found in the works of Dickens, Bulwer, Thackeray, and Scott. Therefore, it is not possible to directly compare how Disraeli's portrayal in "Vivian Grey" aligns with or diverges from his contemporaries' works based solely on the provided text. The passages focus on Disraeli's skill in depicting the social milieu and its inhabitants, emphasizing their charm and perceived importance [1].
Synthesized from the book passages below. Chat with the book on Feynman for follow-up.
From the book
is first work of fiction; and the young author was at once hailed as a master of his art by an almost unanimous press. In this, as in his subsequent books, it was not so much Disraeli’s notable skill as a novelist but rather his portrayal of the social and political life of the day that made him one of the most popular writers of his generation, and earned for him a lasting fame as a man of letters. In “Vivian Grey” is narrated the career of an ambitious young man of rank; and in this story the brilliant author has preserved to us the exact tone of the English drawing-room, as he so…
VIVIAN GREY By The Earl Of Beaconsfield, Benjamin Disraeli The English Comédie Humaine Second Series [Illustration: frontispiece] [Illustration: titlepage] PUBLISHER’S NOTE. As a novelist, Benjamin Disraeli belongs to the early part of the nineteenth century. “Vivian Grey” (1826-27) and “Sybil” (1845) mark the beginning and the end of his truly creative period; for the two productions of his latest years, “Lothair” (1870) and “Endymion” (1880), add nothing to the characteristics of his earlier volumes except the changes of feeling and power which accompany old…
soon engrossed in deep converse with that illustrious lady. In one room, the most eminent and exclusive, headed by Mrs. Felix Lorraine, were now winding through the soothing mazes of a slow waltz, and now whirling, with all the rapidity of Eastern dervishes, to true double Wien time. In another saloon, the tedious tactics of quadrilles commanded the exertions of less civilised beings: here Liberal Snake, the celebrated political economist, was lecturing to a knot of alarmed country gentlemen; and there an Italian improvisatore poured forth to an admiring audience all the dulness of…
raine; one or the other, perhaps both.” “What!” “What do you think of Mrs. Felix Lorraine, Miss Manvers?” “Oh! I think her a very amusing woman, a very clever woman a very--but--” “But what?” “But I cannot exactly make her out.” “Nor I; she is a dark riddle; and, although I am a very Oedipus, I confess I have not yet unravelled it. Come, there is Washington Irving’s autograph for you; read it; is it not quite in character? Shall I write any more? One of Sir Walter’s, or Mr. Southey’s, or Mr. Milman’s or Mr. Disraeli’s? or shall I sprawl a Byron?” “I really cannot…
Scribe. Allow me to introduce you to Mr. Metternich Scribe.” “Mr. Metternich Scribe, Mr. Vivian Grey!” and here Mr. Hargrave introduced Vivian to an effeminate-looking, perfumed young man, with a handsome, unmeaning face and very white hands; in short, as dapper a little diplomatist as ever tattled about the Congress of Verona, smirked at Lady Almack’s supper after the Opera, or vowed “that Richmond Terrace was a most convenient situation for official men.” “We have had it with us some time before the public received it,” said the future under-secretary, with a look at once…
More questions about this book
- The publisher's note distinguishes Disraeli's early "creative period" from his later works, attributing changes to "old age." How might the novel "Vivian Grey," written by a twenty-one-year-old, reflect or be shaped by a youthful perspective, particularly in its portrayal of an "ambitious young man of rank"?
- The text states "Vivian Grey" is "not a great novel" but "beyond question a marvelously true picture." What specific criteria for literary "greatness" versus historical "truth" are implied by this distinction, and how does the description of its content support this evaluation?
- Disraeli is lauded for preserving "the exact tone of the English drawing-room." Based on the brief opening description of Vivian's pampered infancy, what narrative elements or character details might already subtly begin to establish this specific social tone for the reader?
- The note emphasizes Disraeli's prominence as a statesman and how it "tended to obscure" his true literary period. How might Disraeli's dual identity as both a political figure and a novelist influence the reader's interpretation of his social and political commentary in "Vivian Grey," particularly concerning the "portrait gallery of notables"?