Brister, Winifred Collins

Edward Frederic Benson's Lucia novels are comic commentaries on social change and the fragmentation of English society from the end of the Edwardian era into the Georgian, especially reflecting the disenchantment of the English people with their traditional beliefs, roles, and class structure. What Matthew Arnold referred to as the Philistines of England--the newly-risen bourgeois--struggle to imitate the upper classes and to emulate their use of leisure time. Benson's characterizations of the villagers of Riseholme and Tilling match closely the descriptions of those Philistines; however, we cannot dislike them for their weaknesses. The positive change in the author's attitude toward them compels us to cheer them on as the victors of the twentieth century.