Delilah in the rain.......
I was reminded last night, in a message from a friend who has been re-reading the 8 novels of the saga, that we should not spend all or time flagging up the darkness and the drama of the narrative. Supercharged action and unremitting gloom seem to be the predominant features of much modern TV drama -- and to a degree we have been sucked into the process of demonstrating that on that front the life story of Martha Morgan stands up against even the most violent TV dramas and films currently available. But, but.......
This is what my friend said: “The narrative is filled with humour, thought provoking challenges, beauty and inspiration. It really is a soaring hymn to the human spirit…."We must remember that whatever characteristics Martha has, she is also resilient, irrepressible, compassionate, easily moved to both tears and laughter. Whatever happens to her, no matter how serious her injuries may be and how dark her moods may be, she always -- eventually -- comes up smiling. I suppose that is what endears her to her readers.
As the story came to me, it is full of humour, partly derived from Martha's dry wit and lack of respect for authority, but also derives from the situations in which she finds herself. In each of the 8 volumes there are episodes that were great fun to write, and which have acted as counterpoints to the episodes filled with pain and tragedy. Unconsciously, I suppose that as a writer I have been influenced by the titans of the theatre. Shakespeare, of course, famously had ridiculous characters scattered through all of his plays, and many of the most dramatic scenes in the history of stage drama are followed by episodes of levity, involving clowns and fools who knowingly or unknowingly say and do hilarious things.
Somebody said that the novels of the saga are Shakespearean in their emotional scope ---and that's one of the compliments that has meant a great deal to me.
So yes, there is love, beauty, tenderness and laughter in the stories, and we should not forget to advertise the fact. My favourite comedy characters from the series? Well, the ever-pompous Rector Devonald, then Wilmot Gwynne and his voluptuous wife Delilah, then Beau Brummell, then Sergeant Dafydd Gruffydd in Chapter 6 of "Guardian Angel" who says everything at least twice, using slightly different combinations of words.......... and so on and so on.
But the best clowns and fools, in the grand literary tradition, are given license to speak truth to power, and to have insights into the depths of the human soul. And so it is with all of the colourful characters who say and do apparently foolish things in the pages of the novels. So yes, please laugh if you like, but also dig deeper.........
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