Howatch Part IV

The fourth novel in the Starbridge series is the only one narrated by a lay person.  It is also unusual in that it is the only novel narrated by a woman.  Scandalous Risks is the story of Venetia Flaxton, daughter of a reform minded peer, Lord Flaxton... who lives in Starbridge.  He is a member of the almost defunct Liberal Party.

  Venetia is the youngest of a large upper class family and has always felt left out, as the tail end member of 6 children.  She is not a beauty, and has not been a social success, because she was initially more interested in trying to get a good education than in society pursuits.   However in spite of her intellectual tastes, she feels that she is missing out on real life because of her lack of sex appeal. 

Venetia is a friend of Primrose Aysgarth, Neville’s serious minded older daughter and because of this she is friendly with him and his family.  Neville finds, in the 1960s that his marriage to Dido is still not a very easy or happy one.  He has committed himself to his wife, because she is a lonely neurotic woman and because his career as a clergyman would be impossible if he got divorced.   But he doesn't really love her...

 He is attracted to Venetia, who is eager to learn about things and who is young and fresh and the 2 have an unconsummated but intense relationship which leads her to despair.  Neville also is driven almost to breakdown...

In the other 2 novels of the series, we see the problems and crises that still bedevil Charles Ashworth, Jon and Neville as they grow older...  Charles loses his 2nd wife and has to work out a new relationship with his 2 sons.  He has to contend with the arrival of the Swinging Sixties and the changes in society and in the Church while evaluating his own conservative beliefs.
Jon also loses his wife and finds that his relationship with his youngest son, Nick, is under strain.  All three men though clergymen are prone to sin, problems and errors and have to work for their salvation. 

The six Starbridge novels were followed by a trilogy set in St Benet’s, a church in the City of London, set in the 1980s and 90s – almost the present.  The Church runs a counselling centre and focuses on lay people in crisis rather than clergy. 

I think that Howatch’s touch is less sure in this set of novels, although they include some of the Starbridge characters... However I feel that her Starbridge novels are her great achievement and I still enjoy reading them…

Susan Howatch Part III the Starbridge Novels

The third clergyman in the Starbridge series is Neville Asygarth, who has an important job in the diocese, (as Archdeacon) and who finds himself working with Jon Darrow.  Jon becomes head of the Local theological college after he leaves his monastery and has had some trouble adjusting to the world…
  As a conservative Anglo Catholic, he is inclined to clash over issues, with the Protestant and liberal modern minded Aysgarth.  Then Neville’s wife dies, leaving him with 5 young children.  Neville has a guilty reaction since prior to his wife’s death, he has become attracted to a young “Society” woman, Dido Tallent... whose father is a millionaire.
He was attracted to her partly because he himself was a scholarship boy from a relatively poor background and she appeared glamorous and exciting to him… 
After the death of his wife, Neville tries to adjust to widowerhood, but he wants to marry Dido.  However he realises that in spite of her charm and liveliness, she is a neurotic young woman, and that marriage to such an “eccentric” society girl  is not wise.  (Some of the relationships in the Starbridge Novels are based on the lives of the Asquith family... and Dido has a slight resemblance to HH Asquith's eccentric "Society girl" second wife, Margot.)

Neville knows that he is behaving madly but he can't seem to control his feelings for her.  He persuades her to marry him and soon after their marriage, when their first child is born dead, he realises that the marriage was a dreadful mistake.  He has hit rock bottom spiritually and maritally and he is forced to seek help from Jon Darrow.

The first three Starbridge novels are set in the 1930s and during World War II.  The second trio is set in the 1950s and 60s when the Church of England was being buffeted by new ideas about theology, by a decline in society's religious faith, and the rise of the Permissive Society.   
But the problems of the 3 clergymen are still ongoing.  Howatch is aware that people may try to overcome their faults and struggle to put right the messes they have made but that it is not an easy struggle and will often have more defeats than victories.

I will write some more about Howatch and her religious novels in another post…

Bible names again

Some bible names have been popular in puritan times and in the US but less so in the UK.  But they are coming back into fashion in recent years. 
Joel is one such name…  It means “Yah is God” and there are several bible character with the name.  There is also a “female” version which has become more popular, Joelle or Joely…
Jeremy is quote a well-liked name, which is derived from the biblical Jeremiah.   This means “exalted by God”.  It can be abbreviated to Jerry or Jem…
Joseph is one of best known bible names.  There is Joseph the husband of Mary, who is important in the New Testament, and Joseph the son of Jacob... who has the Coat of Many colours... Joseph’s adventures in Egypt are well known to those who have seen the Lloyd Webber musical…The name means “God may add” with the implication that God gave this child as an addition to Jacob’s large family…
The name has always been popular in the UK and can be abbreviated to Joe, or Joey, or Jos…  The feminine version is Josephine…
Jonathan means gift of God and has become very popular.  It is the name of King David’s close friend.  It can be abbreviated to Jon or sometimes Jonty.
John is one of the most popular names of all time.. and is the name of Jesus’ “beloved disciple”.  It has always been well known. Diminutives include Johnny, or Jack or Jan.
Jared is a lesser known bible name. It may mean “descent”, some say that it means “Rose”.  It is the name of one of Adams descendants, and was taken up by Puritans in the 17^th Century.  It is more likely to be used in America. 

Lucius is a somewhat unusual bible name; it means “light” add is mentioned as the name of 2 early Christians in the New Testament.  It was never very popular but in the form Luke or Lucas it has become more common in recent years.

Mark is a Latinate name from Marcus, and is the name of one of the Gospel Authors.  It has always been used…and is also common in Cornwall because  it is the name of King Mark, the king of Cornwall…in Arthurian legend.  Mark is a somewhat unsympathetic character, but the name is now well liked. 

Matthew is the name of the author of the first Gospel, and means in Hebrew “gift of God”.  It has become more and more popular in recent years. Matthias is a form of the name which is also used in the New Testament as the name of the apostle who replaced Judas….

Michael is the name of an Archangel and so was not so popular after the Reformation when names of saints and angels went out of fashion, to be replaced by the names of bible characters and virtue names… Its abbreviated to Mike or Mickey.  

More Bible names

Hiram is not common now as a name... It means “My brother is exalted” and was the name in the bible of a King of Tyre... it has always been more common in the USA, and can be abbreviated to Hy… It’s also the real name of the “Hillbilly Shakespeare”, country legend Hank Williams…
Two very significant bible names for men are Isaac and Isaiah.  The latter is the name of a prophet, and means Salvation of Yah (or God).   It is also the name of the philosopher Sir Isaiah Berlin... but is rarely used now…
Isaac is one of the patriarchs of Israel.  He is the son of Abraham… and the name means laughter.  This comes from the story that his mother Sarah laughed when she was told she would have a child as she was too old to bear children.
 It was not uncommon in England in post puritan times... but now is more common in America.  It can be abbreviated to Zak... but an often used American abbreviation is “Ike”...  This was the nickname of the President Eisenhower but this was from his surname...
Ira is a Hebrew name which means “watchful”, and is not that common nowadays.  However there are 2 famous Americans who had it...  The Native American soldier Ira Hayes who took part in the famous picture of raising the flag on Iwo Jima…and Ira Gershwin, who was one of the most seminal lyricists in the history of American musical theatre.
Jacob is the name of Abraham’s grandson, who had 12 sons…one of the famous Joseph with the coat of many colours...  Jacob has always been used in the UK and USA.  Nowadays, it is often abbreviated to Jake…and is a well-liked name…

Bible names part II

David is one the most popular bible related names, which has become detached from its religious origins.  King David in the bible is an important if flawed figure.  The name became popular in the UK particularly in Scotland and Wales and St David was the patron saint of Wales.  It is now one of the most used British names.  It means beloved, and can be abbreviated to Dave or Davie.  The Welsh version of it is “Daffyd” which led to the nickname of Taffy for a Welshman.  A prominent Welshman is of course the wartime Prime Minister David Lloyd George.

Daniel has also become a very popular name.  Dan which is also a bible name means “Judge” and Daniel means “God has judged”.  In Ireland, it became known as an anglicised version of the Irish name Donal, and so became quite popular.  Daniel O’Connell was an important political figure in the 19^th century.   The name is well liked and can be abbreviated to Dan or Danny. 

Elias is a rather old fashion bible name, that used to be used in Victorian times but is now less so.  The name means “God is Yah”...Yah or Yahweh is one of the names used for God in the bible…Elliot is a variant which has become more popular in modern times…

 Emanuel means “God is with us” and was popular in the 17^th century.   It can be abbreviated to Manny, but it is also known in Spanish as Manuel…

Ethan is more popular in the USA, but is becoming known in Britain, meaning Long lived…

Another Name is Ephraim, which means fruitful.  It is not common any more but it was the name of one of Joseph’s sons in the bible.   It can be abbreviated to Ep or Eph-. 

Ezra means “Help” but has never been all that popular.  It is the name of the famous fascist sympathising poet, Ezra Pound...

Felix appears in the bible, it is a Latin name and means happy or lucky. In recent years it’s become quite popular, and so has the female version Felicity.   Its famous as the name of the Neil Simon character Felix Unger, in the Odd Couple....

Male bible names, short post

Adam is the first name mentioned in the Bible and has been a popular name... It means “from the earth” a reference to the fact that God made Adam out of the clay…  Biblical names have become more popular in the UK in recent years as they have always been in the USA.

Andrew is a Greek derived name which appears in the New Testament as the name of one of the Apostles and has always been popular in the UK throughout Europe and in the US.  It means “man” or “manly”.   It can be abbreviated to Andy or Drew or occasionally Dandie.   It is particularly popular in Scotland and St Andrew is their national saint.

Baruch is a Hebrew name which means blessed and Barack Obama, the American president, has the African version of the name.

Barnabas means “son of Consolation” and is the name of one of St Paul’s companions.  It was a very popular name, as was the variant Barnaby... and can be shorted to Barney or Barry…

Bartholomew appears in the New Testament as a by name of one of the disciples.  It means “son of Talmai”.  It can be shorted to Bart or Barty…

One of the most popular bible names is Benjamin.  It is the name of one of Jacobs’s sons by his beloved wife Rachel.  Jacob had to wait a long time to have children with Rachel, so Joseph, Benjamin’s brother and Benjamin himself were his specially loved sons.  The name means “son of the right hand”.  It was often used to refer to a favourite or youngest son.

More will follow!

More women's bible names

Tamar is the name of a couple of Old Testament characters and it means “palm tree.”  It became popular in Russia as “Tamara” and has occasionally been used in the UK.  It is often abbreviated as Tammy...  Occasionally Americans use the name Tammy, such as the country singer Tammy Wynnette but she took it from the name of a film character.
Thirza is a place name in the bible but has occasionally been used in England… the meaning is unclear and it is now rare.
Tryphena is a Greek name which is briefly mentioned In the New Testament, and has occasionally  been used by English speakers but it was never a popular name and is now rare.
Tryphena Sparks was a cousin of the poet Thomas Hardy, with whom he was in love, and she was probably the model for his character Sue, in Jude the Obscure…  The name means “dainty” or delicate.
There are a few Z names in the bible, for women… but not that many….
Zillah means “shade” and was relatively popular in the early years of the Reformation as there were so few bible names for girls.  It is rare now, but it is the name of a minor character in Wuthering Heights, she is the housekeeper at the Heights....
Zilpah or Zelpha means sprinkling and it is the name of Leah’s maid who bears children to her husband Jacob...

Zipporah means bird and appears as the name of Moses’ wife, so it was used occasionally.

Another name is Zoe.  It is not strictly a bible name but it appeared in the early Greek translations of the bible.  It means “life” and was used as an equivalent to Eve, the wife of Adam and the mother of “all who are living.”  Because of this, it became popular for a time and now is used without reference to its religious aspect…
I hope to write something about male bible names shortly….

Women's bible names Part II

I have been meaning to write some more about women’s bible names... many of the male names have fallen into disuse... but the women’s names are still liked. 
Leah was the name of the Patriarch Jacob’s first wife… whom he married though he was in love with her sister Rachel.  The name may mean gazelle or even cow… which has a suggestion of gentleness.  Variants of the name include Lia or Lea.
Lydia is a Greek name, meaning “woman from Lydia” a Greek region, which features in the New Testament...  Lydia was a well to do woman who was one of St Pauls converts.  It has proved popular, and has been used in literature in Sheridan’s play, The Rivals, and Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
Mary is the name of Jesus’ mother, which means “swelling” and has a connotation of pregnancy.  The original Hebrew version of the name is Miriam….
Naomi was quite a popular name; it is the name of the mother in law of Ruth, who is an ancestress of Jesus.  Ruth and Naomi were devoted to each other, a touching story of love between two women… The name means pleasant.
In Greek the name Phoebe means “Shining” and it was the name of one of St Paul’s Greek converts.  It has never been very popular but has sometimes been used.
Rachel is one of the most popular Bible names… It is the name of Jacob’s second wife, whom he loved, and who was the mother of his beloved son Joseph.  The name means “ewe”.  It is even more popular nowadays because of the character Rachel in Friends.
Rebecca is also a very popular name.  It is the name of Jacob’s mother, the wife of Isaac... the son of Abraham.  It means knotted cord, which can be a reference to the bond of marriage.  The name has some abbreviations, Becky, or Becca.  There is also the abbreviation “Reba”, used by the country singer Reba MacEntire.
Ruth is the name of the ancestress of David, and the daughter in law of Naomi.  The meaning of the name is unclear... but it has been very popular. Abbreviations are Ruthie, or Rue…
Sarah is one of the most popular English names, which has now lost its association with the bible because it has become so well used...  The original character was Sarai, or Sarah, the wife of Abraham.  The Hebrew name means Princess. Other forms include Sally, Sadie, and Sarita.

Sapphira is a rare name, which means “Sapphire”…but the bible character who bears this name is a deceitful and unsympathetic woman, so it has not been much used. 

Sharon is the name of a place in the bible, but has become a popular name.  A “Rose of Sharon” is the name for a type of Lily, and the name also has the variant Sharona.  It can be abbreviated to Shari.

Susan or Susannah is a popular name that has also lost its “bible” origin… the name means Lily (Shoshan) and is the name of a Bible character who is accused of adultery and defended by Daniel.  The name can be abbreviated as Sue, Susie, Shanna, or Sukie...
Shulamith is another rare name, which springs from the Hebrew word Shalom, meaning peace.  It is mentioned in the Song of Solomon.  It is quite popular in Israel and can be abbreviated to Shula.

More will follow.