Where Admirable Crichton Is an Understatement

The Novels of Willlam Harrison Ainsworth, Vol. 16: Crichton, Volume 1 by William Harrison Ainsworth
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A year ago, I'd never heard of William Harrison Ainsworth. But that's a shame. He's an excellent 19th Century writer of historical romance, worthy of being mentioned alongside Dumas and Scott, and surely should be read by some of those authors' many fans. He's definitely got his own voice and manner, so it's not a slam dunk, but I find his books very entertaining.

This is the story of a brilliant Scotsman at the French court in 1579. It begins with Crichton facing and defeating the scholars at the University of Paris in debate. The historical Crichton supposedly spoke and wrote fluently in 12 languages, and this as a very young man, even a teen. The University proclaims him thereafter The Admirable Crichton.

But he was more than an impressive scholar; he was also the leading champion at the joust *and* Marguerite of Valois's lover (at some time before her husband, Henry of Navarre, became Henry IV of France). He was a devout Catholic, almost fanatic, putting him at odds with some of the protestant characters in the story, but as a gentleman and man of honor, he treats all with respect and fairness.

The villain of the story is Catherine de Medici, along with her astrologer, while her son the king, Henry III, falls somewhere in the middle. He's pretty villainous, TBH, but sometimes shows an honorable side. His mother has no good side at all.

From the moment Crichton emerges from the debate, he's involved in one intrigue or another, in one battle or another, saving one desperate young woman or another. He protects Marguerite, though he is ready to be done with the affair; he works to rescue Esclairmonde, a beautiful new mystery at court, who is an unwitting part of some scheme by Catherine de Medici and desired by the relentless king; and he fights to save the life of a young Italian singer who is fleeing from a nobleman of Gonzaga. At different times in the novel, he becomes the defender and champion of many other men and women.

The story is ambitious and complex, full of intrigues and plans put together in a moment and falling apart almost as quickly. It's a lot to follow, but not ridiculously so, though I'm sure a misunderstood the significance of many overheard details and bluffs and betrayals. Still, there is a lot of action to make the intrigues plainer, and if I missed something here and there I'm sure it doesn't matter that much.

The author's language is elevated and leans toward the scholarly, though it is still vigorous and active, and close to the language you find in a Scott novel. He likes to throw in songs and poetry as much as Tolkien ever did, generally to good effect (though I'm not a fan of the frequent Latin and French quotes that are not translated) and the author's erudition is most evident in these examples and his classical allusions. He might have been writing for a more educated class than I represent, but I've gotta admit I still really enjoyed it.

There are plenty of courtly scenes filled with dialogue, and people sneaking around to overhear plotting, but there's also lotsa action here--men looking for and finding trouble in pubs, and rowdies talking shit on campus until a riot breaks out, and bravos looking to assassinate the king, and knights jousting for a cheering public, and on and on. I find the combination of scholarly language and violent, mean, insulting behavior an entertaining mix, and I feel like his books should be more widely read. Bearing in mind all the usual caveats that go with literature of that era, this is a fun book and might well require a second reading someday.

Recommended.

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