Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith. Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property. What can I do to prevent this in the future? If you are on a personal connection, like at home, you can run an anti-virus scan on your device to make sure it is not infected with malware. If you are at an office or shared network, you can ask the network administrator to run a scan across the network looking for misconfigured or infected devices. Another way to prevent getting this page in the future is to use Privacy Pass. You may need to download version 2.0 now from the Chrome Web Store. Cloudflare Ray ID: 66034d92af554a68 • Your IP : 116.202.236.252 • Performance & security by Cloudflare. I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith. Completing the CAPTCHA proves you are a human and gives you temporary access to the web property. What can I do to prevent this in the future? If you are on a personal connection, like at home, you can run an anti-virus scan on your device to make sure it is not infected with malware. If you are at an office or shared network, you can ask the network administrator to run a scan across the network looking for misconfigured or infected devices. Another way to prevent getting this page in the future is to use Privacy Pass. You may need to download version 2.0 now from the Chrome Web Store. Cloudflare Ray ID: 66034d92a97a9778 • Your IP : 116.202.236.252 • Performance & security by Cloudflare. I Capture the Castle. I write this sitting in the kitchen sink. So begins what I suspect is Dodie Smith's best book, although her fame today (if known at all) is for The Hundred and One Dalmatians . It and it's sequel are children's books, and to me at least came off as a bit simplistic and trite. I Capture the Castle is none of those things. It's partly a snapshot of genteel poverty in the 1930s and partly a romance novel in the style of Jane Austen, but with a far quirkier cast and setting. And it's exceptionally well-written and well-characterized, and not at all simplistic. I Capture the Castle is told as journal entries written by Cassandra Mortmain. She is one of three children of the author James Mortmain, who wrote one book that was extremely well-received by the literary establishment, particularly in the United States, and has had writer's block ever since. The family, along with her father's second wife and the son of a long-time family servant, lives in England in a huge house in the country built against the ruins of a castle. This, the castle of the title, is as much a character of the novel as any of the family. Smith's cast is a quirky and varied delight. The book is mostly concerned with Cassandra and her sister Rose, who are very close. Their younger brother is still in school and doesn't play much of a part. Their father is a strange and mostly absent figure, whose reactions and quiet desperation become a significant component of the plot, but who struggles to interact with the rest of his family. Topaz, Cassandra's step-mother, is a hippie transplanted into the 1930s: an occasional model, an aspiring muse, a periodic nudist, and a full-fledged drama queen. She's a character who could very easily be overplayed, but Smith strikes just the right balance of impractical and loving, giving her rare bursts of useful competency and helping the reader appreciate a strange but surprisingly functional family arrangement. Above all else, though, this is a book about poverty. Admittedly, this is a very upper-class (and class-conscious poverty), one where the family retains certain high-class privileges and expectations no matter what. But it doesn't gloss over the practical impact of the father's inability to earn a living. They still have the house only because they're not paying rent, but are afraid that their landlord will realize and demand it at any time. They only don't starve because the servant boy, who has become a painfully loyal semi-adopted family member (class lines are very sharp here), goes to work in a neighboring farm to get enough money for food. Cassandra mentions the furniture that's been sold to keep the family going, their inability to entertain even when that's socially expected due to the lack of any rooms suitable for it, and the constant lack of decent clothing (and food). She does so in a quietly matter-of-fact way that strikes a perfect balance between letting the reader enjoy the story and driving home the all-consuming impact of being poor. It's remarkably well-done, even if one still wonders why none of the women in the family ever discuss getting practical employment (as opposed to uncertain modeling jobs). There is, of course, a romance, and for that (given the sort of book this is), there must be men. These arrive in the form of the Cottons, brothers who have inherited the larger estate of which the Mortmain's house is a part. Having them think well of the family is immediately important, since they could call for the rent, and then Rose becomes determined to marry one of them as a way for both her and the rest of the family to escape poverty. This leads to some of the places any Austen reader would expect, but also to places I did not expect at all. I do have to say that the characters in this book experience kissing in a way that is completely foreign to me. This is a fairly common trope, but it always throws me. I have never found it possible to believe in this much emotional impact and world-changing sensation from a kiss, particularly in a book that's rather more frank about sex than Austen and hence doesn't have to use kisses as a proxy for other things. But, despite that, and despite some related sensations of love that are a bit more sudden, complete, and persistent than I could quite believe, the romance is not as traditional as I expected it to be. I Capture the Castle moves into some tricky areas of ethics, friendship, and sisterhood, and then goes in a direction I did not see coming. While it's a more emotionally difficult story than the typical romance, I found it more satisfying as well. The highlight of the book is Cassandra's voice. She is an excellent first-person protagonist, and the journal entry format works beautifully. It provides just enough foreshadowing to add emotional depth and to warn the reader of dark patches ahead, and the process of Cassandra learning how to express herself is delightful to watch. Her love and understanding of her family shines through, which lets characters who could have fallen into irrelevant slapstick or frustrated incompetence instead walk the fine line between the two. The family is gloriously dysfunctional, but they're also deeply loving in their own ways. Smith keeps the quirks as a bright thread of humor and occasional exasperation, and doesn't let them take over the story. If you like people stories, or adventures in crumbling English castles, seek this one out. It's a worthy story in the Austen tradition and will appeal even to people who aren't that fond of romances (although you do have to suspend disbelief through some of the falling in love bits). While one is occasionally reminded that it's a book of it's era — landing a man through marriage is the only vocation that seems acceptable, for example — there is a lot of female agency and strong female perspective here. It's the women who solve most of the problems in the book. And, despite not quite believing Cassandra's motives for the last part of the book, I found the journey delightful. Dodie Smith. Dodie Smith (May 3, 1896 – November 24, 1990), born Dorothy Gladys Smith in Lancashire, England, was one of the most successful female dramatists of her generation. The British novelist and playwright is even better known for her novel The Hundred and One Dalmatians (later better known as The 101 Dalmatians ) and the young adult novel I Capture the Castle . Dodie Smith came to her love of theatre early, with many of her family members either enthusiasts or amateurs in that realm. She studied at the Academy of Dramatic Art, exploring a short career in acting before becoming a successful playwright and novelist. Early life. The only child of Ernest and Ella Smith, her father died in 1898 when she was two years old. Dodie and her mother moved in with her grandparents, William and Margaret Furber. She credits her theater-loving grandfather in her autobiography, Look Back with Love (1974), as one of the reasons she became a playwright. At age ten, Dodie wrote her first play and began acting in small roles at the Manchester Athenaeum Dramatic Society during her teen years. When Dodie was fourteen years old, her mother remarried and the two moved to London to join her new stepfather. Dodie attended St Paul’s Girls’ School, and at age eighteen, entered the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. She landed her first acting role in Arthur Wing Pinero’s play, Playgoers . Success in the world of theater. Dodie’s acting pursuits led her to land stints with a traveling YMCA company to entertain troops during World War I. She also toured with the French comedy French Leave. She sold a movie script, Schoolgirl Rebels, under the pen name Charles Henry Percy and wrote a one-act play, British Talent. In 1931, Dodie wrote her first full-length play, Autumn Crocus, using the pseudonym C.L. Anthony. She need not have hidden behind her nom de plume, as the piece was quite successful. When the true identity was exposed, newspapers called her the “shopgirl playwright” because she was working in retail stores. Dodie wrote a string of successful plays that made it to the London stage in the 1930s and 1940s, including the aforementioned Autumn Crocus , as well as Call It A Day (the longest running of all her work), Dear Octopus, and Lovers and Friends. I Capture the Castle. In 1939 Smith married Alec Beesley, a longtime friend and her manager at a furniture shop where she had worked. The two moved to the U.S. in the 1940s due to his stance as a conscientious objector in Britain. Her homesickness for England inspired her to write I Capture the Castle , her first novel, published in 1948. It was an immediate hit and still enjoys a devoted following. It begins with the unforgettable line, “I sit here writing this in the kitchen sink.” ” … both a parallel to and the opposite of The Catcher in the Rye, published three years later. It should surely be regarded as an equal, but whereas Holden Caulfield became an eternal symbol for rebellion, Cassandra Mortmain, Smith’s teenaged heroine, was possibly hampered by her background. She is, after all, a naive, optimistic bohemian trapped in her family’s collapsing castle in the middle of nowhere, while her beloved father, a blocked one-time novelist who keeps the family in penury and isolation, struggles with his demons.” The 101 Dalmatians. Dodie and Alex returned to England in the early 1950’s, much to Dodie’s delight. Her years in the United States were never completely content, as she suffered from homesickness and guilt at abandoning her country at a time of war. During their time in America, the couple became friends with fellow writers, such as Christopher Isherwood and Charles Brackett. After their return to England, Dodie’s The Hundred and One Dalmatians was published in 1956. Pongo, the four-legged main character, was named after Dodie’s own pet Dalmatian. The novel was adapted by Disney into a 1961 animated film, called One Hundred and One Dalmatians . Dodie wrote a sequel, published in 1967, called The Starlight Barking. It never achieved the success of the original. Film Adaptations of Dodie Smith’s works. One Hundred and One Dalmatians was released to theaters in January of 1961, and was an immediate success with audiences. Critics generally liked it as well, though they didn’t put it in the same league as other Disney animated films. “While not as indelibly enchanting or inspired as some of the studio’s most unforgettable animated endeavors,” wrote Variety , “this is nonetheless a painstaking creative effort.” In 1996, Walt Disney adapted the book into a live-action film, with the streamlined title 101 Dalmatians . The live-action version wasn’t as well received. One critic encapsulated the general response: “Neat performance from Glenn Close aside, 101 Dalmatians is a bland, pointless remake.” Additionally, a British film adaptation of I Capture The Castle was released in the UK in 2003, and shortly thereafter in the U.S. These were the best known film adaptations from Dodie’s works, though there were others, including: Looking Forward (1933, adapted from Service ) , Autumn Crocus (1934) , Call it a Day (1937), and Dear Octopus (1943). All of these were adapted from her plays rather than novels. Later life. Dodie and Alec spent their last years in quiet seclusion in their country cottage in England. She spent time working on her memoirs (starting with the phrase Look Back ), and Alec devoted his time to gardening. Charley, Dodie’s loyal Dalmatian companion at the time, become incredibly important to her well-being after Alec’s sudden death in 1987. Dodie died in 1990 in England. She had named Julian Barnes as her literary executor, a job she thought wouldn’t be much work. Barnes writes of the complicated task in his essay “Literary Executions,” revealing among other things how he secured the return of the movie rights to I Capture the Castle , which had been owned by Disney since 1949. Dodie’s personal papers are archived i Boston University’s Howard Gotlieb Archival Research Center, and include manuscripts, photographs, artwork, and her correspondence with esteemed literary friends, such as Christopher Isherwood and John Gielgud. More about Dodie Smith. On this site. Major Works. (1948) The Hundred and One Dalmatians (1956) The New Moon with the Old (1963) (1965) The Starlight Barking (1967) It Ends in Revelations (1967) Autobiographies. Look Back with Love: a Manchester Childhood (1974) Look Back with Mixed Feelings (1978) Look Back with Astonishment (1979) Look Back with Gratitude (1985) Dear Dodie by Valerie Grove. Selected Plays. Autumn Crocus (1931) Service (1932) Dear Octopus (1938) More Information. Wikipedia Reader discussion of Dodie Smith’s books on Goodreads. Film adaptations of Dodie Smith’s works. Looking Forward (1933, adapted from Service) Autumn Crocus (1934) Call It a Day (1937) Dear Octopus (1943) Animated film version of One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) Live action film version of The 101 Dalmatians (1996) I Capture the Castle (2003) *This post contains affiliate links. If the product is purchased by linking through, Literary Ladies Guide receives a modest commission, which helps maintain our site and helps it to continue growing! I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (1948) I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith was the first novel by this British author. It’s the story of Rose and Cassandra Mortmain, two sisters who are part of an eccentric family living in genteel poverty in a crumbling castle in the 1930s. This coming of age novel has been beloved by young adults ever since it was published in 1948. At the time of its publication, Smith was an established playwright, and would later become even better known for the children’s classic, The 101 Dalmatians (1956). I Capture the Castle was as well received by critics as it was by the public; here is one such review: A 1948 review of I Capture the Castle. Original review of I Capture the Castle in The Ottawa (Ontario) Journal, Oct. 30, 1948: Even a book reviewer must succumb to sheer charm. When this illusive commodity is fortified by wisdom and enhanced by a deep love of beauty, as in Dodie Smith ’s novel, I Capture the Castle , the encounter is apt to upset judgement and sweep one off one’s feet. But the magic stays. Although Dodie Smith is perhaps England’s most successful playwright – Autumn Crocus and Dear Octopus are her best known on this side of the water — this is her first novel. “I write with great misery,” she explains in a foreword. It is thus she gives her readers great pleasure. The setting — an old ruined castle in Suffolk The story takes place in Suffolk in an old ruined castle. If the author had not proved herself so skillful at characterization and dialogue, one might almost say the castle itself is the protagonist. Built originally, by the Normans and later almost destroyed by Cromwell, a house was added during the reign of Charles II, using the old walls. Not far away on a small mound is Belmotte Tower, the remains of some fortification whose origin is lost in antiquity. Into this strange and lovely setting comes the Mortmain family, equally strange, and, as far as the women are concerned, equally lovely. The two sisters, Rose and Cassandra Rose, the eldest daughter, is the beauty, but Cassandra, just seventeen, whose journal tells this story, has a “neat face,” and looks much younger than she is. The father is one of those preposterous, yet attractive, Englishmen of striking appearance, great individuality and enormous charm. Before the Mortmains came to the castle the father had written a very unusual book called Jacob Wrestling. It had a great success, particularly in America, where he made a lot of money by lecturing, and he seemed likely to become a very important writer. The strange tale of Mr. Mortmain But one summer afternoon whilst living in a cottage by the sea, Mr. Mortmain lost his temper as he was cutting the cake for tea. He brandished the cake knife so menacingly that a neighbor jumped the garden fence to intervene, and got himself knocked down. The case was brought to court and although Mr. Mortmain was exonerated of trying to murder his wife he proved, during the proceedings, to be wittier than the judge so was sent to jail for three months. Although he came out, although he seemed the same he was a changed man. He never wrote again. Nor did he ever do anything to earn a penny for the family. When his wife dies — of perfectly natural causes —he marries a beautiful artist’s model with the weird name of Topaz, rents the castle on a 40-year leave, and retired to the gate-house for good. Debts mount up After making the castle habitable and extremely beautiful, there is nothing left to live on. Debts mount up and in spite of the kindness and good nature of the local tradesmen there comes a time when the Mortmains cannot have more credit. The poverty is awful. They sell everything of value, which tides them over for awhile. Topaz goes to London and works occasionally as a model, but since hers is not a highly paid profession the family remains destitute. The young boy, Stephen, who does the chores around the place, finally undertakes to support the entire family by working on a neighboring farm. But his pittance merely keeps them from starvation. The girls have no clothes; they meet no one and the father makes no move whatever to do any work. The arrival of the Americans Then one beautiful day in May the Americans who own the neighboring estate, Scoatney Manor, arrive. It is like manna from heaven. Their first meeting is unorthodox and highly amusing and Rose the great beauty, who had been most irked by poverty, sets her cap for Simon Cotton, owner of the manor, who is young and handsome as well. The frantic snipping, stitching, cutting and contriving can scarcely be imagined. The great day eventually arrives when the two Cotton boys are to visit them. Both Topaz and Cassandra tacitly agree to play up Rose. She alone can retrieve their fortunes. Next day while Cassandra is watching from the barn the two Cotton boys pass on their way to the village. She listens to them make fun of Rose and the too obvious attempts to ensnare Simon. “We must drop them,” is the awful verdict she hers from both Neil and Simon! So vanishes their only hope of deliverance from abject poverty!! The sisters are humiliated In awful humiliation the girls resolve never to speak to them again. But since Simon is their landlord and they already owe several years’ rent they dare not be as arrogant as they would like. Trying to avoid them one night at the railway station Rose, wrapped in a hideous fur coat, is mistaken for a bear crouching being the trunks and as she scurries away on all four the entire village gives chase. As Neil Cotton is about to plunge a pitchfork into the now terrified Rose, she screams just in time to save her life. This absurd incident puts their acquaintance on a new footing, and Rose is given her second chance. This time there will be no mistake. A compelling story, a commentary on life and love Whatever her feelings are for Neil, Simon is the one with the money. It is Simon who must be victimized, and thanks to her beauty and the utterly unselfish help she has from both Topaz and Cassandra she succeeds. But the best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry, and the book does not turn out this way at all. Finding out what happens makes rewarding reading. This is a captivating — an enchanting story, bit it is also shrewd commentary on life and art and the complexity of the human heart. More about I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. Wikipedia Reader discussion on Goodreads. *This is an Amazon Affiliate link. If the product is purchased by linking through, Literary Ladies Guide receives a modest commission, which helps maintain our site and helps it to continue growing!