The Old Irish Baronet; or, Manners of my Country. A novel. In three volumes. By Henrietta Rouviere, author of Lussington Abbey, Heirs of Villeroy, A Peep at our Ancestors, &C. &C.
Author Details
Surname:Mosse
First Names:Henrietta Rouviere
Gender:Female
Anonymous:No
Publication Details
Publisher:Printed at Minerva-Press, for Lane, Newman, and Co. Leadenhall-Street.
Place:London
Date:1808
Novel Details
Genre:Chivalric; courtship; Gothic; historical; inheritance/identity; political
Setting:Country house; Ireland; Florence
Period:contemporary
Plot
This is a fairly typical romance with Gothic influences, but with added dissertations on theology (particularly the tensions between Catholicism and the Anglican Church) and the revolution in France (which is presented as partly interwoven narrative and partly eye-witness accounts). Ellen O'Callaghan, daughter of Sir Thomas O'Callaghan, is the only daughter of a widowed doting father. Much of the early narrative centres on their moral quality and their many acts of benevolence in the immediate area of the Irish Baronetcy they occupy. Ellen is secretly in love with Sylvester, her tutor, (who secretly reciprocates), but the two are socially mismatched, and cannot admit their love. However, during a two-year tour of Europe, many odd circumstances and coincidences conspire to demonstrate that Sylvester is in fact the rightful heir of Princely Hall (the O'Callaghan seat), and thus can - and does - marry Ellen. The Gothic element is provided in the story of Sylvester and his father, the telling of which occupies the second half of the novel and encompasses the French Revolution and the Spanish Inquisition.
Overview of the Dialect
There is lots of very heavily marked Irish dialect and some French. Connolly, the old butler, has particularly dense marking (e.g. p. 2 'Faith, and it's yur Honour's own silf that might').
Speaker #1:Connolly - Butler
Individual or Group:Individual
Primary Identity:The old butler
Gender:Male
Age:Adult - elderly
Narrative Voice:3rd person
Role:Minor
Dialect Features:Discourse Marker, Grammar, Idiom, Metalanguage, Orthographical Contraction, Orthographical Respelling, Vocabulary
Social Role
Social Role Description:Butler
Social Role Category:Servant
Speaker's Origin
Place of Origin Description:Irish
Place of Origin Category:Dublin, Ireland
Extract #1 dialect features: Discourse Marker, Grammar, Idiom, Orthographical Contraction, Orthographical Respelling, Vocabulary
"Faith, and its yur Honour's own silf that might," replied the veteran domestic, "and as miny thousands to the back of 'em , afore yu'd be after finding the right body; bekays , d'ye see, Sir Thomas, the story's as owld as mysilf , or may be my fadther width me together. Och, I rimimber , when I was a small little bit of a garsoon , hearing all the neighbours a talking about the owld chapel in the wood, and the beautiful Span" â
(Vol. 1,p. 2)Extract #2 dialect features: Discourse Marker, Grammar, Idiom, Orthographical Contraction, Orthographical Respelling, Vocabulary
"The Lord forbid!" ejaculated the trembling servant; "for if the ghosts did not run away width me, to a mortal sartinty the good people would; for we all know they are about the place iviry night; and Molly, one of the kitchen maids, has seed the little lady in white as oftin as she has fingers and toes. To be sure , thank God, I nivir seed none of thim , barn oncet , and thin I tuck good care to shut my eyes not to luck at them. I rimimbir the night will inough --it's more nor twinty years back, about three o'clock of a fine frosty morning, that I was a driving my dear Lady that's did and gone, Lord rist her pricious sowl ! for you know, Sir Thomas, she had me to drive the chay whinivir she used to be out late, bekays she said I was a safer whip nor iny of the tother min . So she was a cuming home from the assimbly , I think they called it, or sum place like that, and Larry was riding afore us on the grey mare Vixen, the horse that won the sweepstakes for yur Honour on the Curragh. I ricollict little Thady Carroll was the jockey, and he looked so nate in his red scharlet striped silk jacket. He was a pritty boy, Sir Thomas, and so was his sister, Piggy Carroll; she was married to Paddy Thacker, the Squire's whipper-in; och , faith , and its mysilf was in love width her; but no matter for that , yur Honour. So, just as we crossed the commons , over tother side beyant the bridge there, all of a suddent Larry faces about-- 'Stop,' says he, in a low voice that we cudn't hear him. I pulls up, thinking as how I was a going wrong, tho' I knowd every inch of the way blindfoulded ; and well I might, for my fadther and modther was born and brid not a stone's throw from the place. 'Arrah! what's the matter, Larry?' says I-- 'The good people says he, 'all making mirry in the middle of the road, and we must not disturb them'--'What's the matter, Connolly?' says my Lady, putting her hid thorough the window-- och! but the devil be from me if Connolly could spake a word at all at all ; 'only,' says I, 'the good people, my Lady;' and with that I shuts both my eyes, and said ovir my pater noster, and ave maria-- 'Turn about, Connolly,' cried she; ' don't go a stip forwards for yur life. Blessed Saint Bridget protect and save us!' I supposes to be sure yur Honour knows all about Saint Bridget, and that whin Saint Patrick was hereabouts, she just axed him to give her as much ground as she could kiver width her mantle, so the Saint promised her he woud ; and width that she sprids out her cloak, and it stritched all over the Curragh, and would have kivered all Ireland, they say, only Saint Patrick got into a passion, and-- och! but that's not my story. So, as I was a saying- - let me see , where was I -- aye! so width that, Sir Thomas, I just vintured to open the corner of one of my eyes, and, as sure as you live, there was nothing at all to be seen, but a clear road afore us to go on, for the good people had vanished clivir and clane away, bekays they found us so civil to them; and I nivir cracked cry, yur Honour, till we was safe landid at Princely Hall."
(Vol. 1,p. 4-8)Extract #3 dialect features: Discourse Marker, Metalanguage, Orthographical Contraction, Orthographical Respelling
He's going to dinner; we're just in pudding-time, and you can git something to ate , and I warrant it a 'kate mi la faltha' into the bargin . May be you don't understand what that is, Miss-- it's Latin, bog Latin, and manes a hearty wilcum ; and to be sure it is not mysilf is glad to rist my owld bones.
(Vol. 1,p. 65-6)Speaker #2:Molly - Servant - housekeeper
Individual or Group:Individual
Primary Identity:Housekeeper
Gender:Female
Age:Adult - elderly
Narrative Voice:3rd person
Role:Peripheral
Dialect Features:Discourse Marker, Grammar, Orthographical Contraction, Orthographical Respelling, Vocabulary
Social Role
Social Role Description:Servant - housekeeper
Social Role Category:Servant
Speaker's Origin
Place of Origin Description:Ireland
Place of Origin Category:Dublin, East Ireland, Ireland
Extract #1 dialect features: Grammar, Orthographical Contraction, Orthographical Respelling, Vocabulary
"Christ save us!" exclaimed Molly, looking aghast, and dropping her knife and fork to cross herself once more. " You wint to the owld chapil , Miss O'Callagan ! and alone by yoursilf , width no body at all along width you! The Lord have marcy upon us and save us, amin ! Cross of Christ about us! To the owld chapil ! Why his rivirince himsilf , God be betwixt him and all harim ! cudn't vinture to do no more nor that . He made the hair o'my hid stand an ind the tother mornin , whin he cumd home and towld me. 'Molly,' says he to me, 'I have bin to biry thim bones over there beyant in the owld chapil , and God rist their sowls ,' says he--' amin ,' says I; and width that, Miss, I falls into such a trimblification , that I thought the viry life was goin out of my body; and ivir since that I dreams iviry nite of the great Lord and the Spanish Lady, tho' I sprinkles my room always with holy water, and says nine pater nosters and avi maris whin I goes to bid ."
(Vol. 1,p. 71-2)Extract #2 dialect features: Discourse Marker, Grammar, Orthographical Contraction, Orthographical Respelling, Vocabulary
"Arrah agrah, but it's yursilf 's the jewil of yung lady," cried Molly, obeying Miss O'Callaghan's orders, and placing a couple of chairs near the table. " Iviry body says yu've no more pride in you nor the poorest crater that walks. Och thin I wisht my maister had just lit me dun as I wantid to-day, and bile the yung pulit that I kilt last nite . I knowd will enuff there wud be a stranger here to-day, and so I towld him, for I seed it on the bars of the grate, and you cud have such a nice taist of the brist of it. But I'll roast you a new-laid igg in the turf ashes, my jewil , afore you know where you be. Or there's a nate taist of mutton since yistirday , and I'll brile it as brown as a pancake for you, my darlint ."
(Vol. 1,p. 63)Speaker #3:Narrator (third person) - Individual
Individual or Group:Individual
Primary Identity:Narrator (third person)
Gender:Unknown
Age:Adult - unspecified age
Narrative Voice:3rd person
Role:Peripheral
Dialect Features:Metalanguage
Social Role
Social Role Description:
Social Role Category:
Speaker's Origin
Place of Origin Description:
Place of Origin Category:Unspecified
Extract #1 dialect features: Metalanguage
Speakers: All , Narrator (third person)
The Baronet was less at his ease in this respect, and his patience, during their journey, was often put to the test by trifles: his good sense, however, always stifled the usual John Bull reply-- "D--n you, why don't you speak English?" and only reminded him that, of all the servants he had brought over with him, not a soul knew any thing else than English, or, to speak mere properly, Irish--a deficiency which he resolved, the instant of his arrival at Paris, to supply.
(Vol. 2,p. 9)Speaker #4:Chef - Chef
Individual or Group:Individual
Primary Identity:Chef
Gender:Male
Age:Adult - unspecified age
Narrative Voice:3rd person
Role:Peripheral
Dialect Features:
Social Role
Social Role Description:Chef
Social Role Category:Trade or craft
Speaker's Origin
Place of Origin Description:France
Place of Origin Category:France