The Deemster
Spine title
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| Author | Hall Caine |
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| Country | UK |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Chatto & Windus |
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Publication date
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1887 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover) |
| Pages | 365 pp (1921 edition) |
The Deemster is a novel by Hall Caine published in 1887, considered to be the first 'Manx novel'. It was Caine's third novel, the second to be set in the Isle of Man and it was his first great success. The plot revolves around the reckless actions of Dan Mylrea and the exile and atonement that follow.
Early in his career, Hall Caine was acting as literary secretary to Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and it was he who suggested that he write a novel set on the Isle of Man. However, it was not for another five years and a number of poorly received novels that Caine began to work on The Deemster. Having conceived of the plot outline, Caine wrote to Hugh Stowell Brown and then his brother, T. E. Brown, to get their opinions. On 3 October 1886 Caine wrote to the Manx poet:
I remember that your brother Hugh did something to dissuade me from tackling Manxland in any sort of work. He did not think the readers of novels would find the island at all interesting, and he was sure that the local atmosphere was not such as would attract them. I thought over this a good deal, and decided, I must say, against your brother's judgment. [...] In the first place, the island has excellent atmosphere. It has the sea, a fine coast on the west, fine moorland above; it has traditions, folk-talk, folk-lore, a ballad literature, and no end of superstition – and all these are very much its own.
Brown's response on 14 October was blunt on the question of the novel's setting:
It could not possibly be placed in the Isle of Man, [...] the stage is inadequate for your romance; [...] [Your story] is strong and vital; but the Isle of Man sinks beneath it. [...] And as for an epic – just write the words, 'A Manx Epic' and behold the totally impossible at once!
Caine ignored their advice but did adapt the plot and characters to some of T.E. Brown's suggestions. He also sought the advice of two other Manxmen, A.W. Moore and Sir James Gell, particularly on the legal background of the novel. Having assembled his materials, Caine wrote the novel at his house in Bexley in the space of only seven months, a feat made possible by his recycling material from his 1885 novella, She's All The World To Me, in particular the central scene of Ewan's body floating back to shore. Caine visited the Isle of Man for a week in August to check the locations of some scenes in the novel and by September the novel was ready to go to the publisher. In financial need, Caine sold the copyright to Chatto & Windus for £150, signing the contract on 27 September 1887. Unfortunately for Caine, the terms of the contract meant that he did not gain the wealth of royalties when the book became a best-seller upon its release in November. Indeed, in 1921 when Caine wanted to release his Collected Works through a different publisher, he would have to pay £350 to Chatto & Windus for the rights to The Deemster.
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Wikipedia