Scandalous Risks

The Washington Post Book World has proclaimed that “Susan Howatch may well become the Anthony Trollope of the twentieth century.” Now, in Scandalous Risks, Howatch returns us to the English town of Starbridge, home to a great medieval cathedral and the religious, political, and sexual intrigues that whirl around it. It is into this charged atmosphere—in the already overheated 1960s—that a young woman searching for meaning in her life, and an older man prominent in the Church, begin moving inexorably toward emotional collision. As Venetia Flaxton edges closer to the threshold of a love affair with Neville Aysgarth, who is Dean of the Cathedral and old enough to be her father, his hidden emotional past and her moral conflict in the present lead them deeper and deeper into the mysteries of the human heart and soul. Here is a powerful and moving novel of good and evil, resolve and temptation, hope and despair. Praise for Scandalous Risks “Wonderful.”—The Cleveland Plain Dealer “Howatch is at her best when dealing with conflict, bringing a passion and tension to her portarit of people facing moral dilemmas.”—The Washington Post “Keep[s] one turning the pages.”—The New York Times Book Review “Passionate.”—Entertainment Weekly

Susan Howatch's global bestsellers have appeared regularly since the 1970s, but a radical shift in her subject matter in the 1980s and especially the 1990s made reviewers and then academics adjust their glasses and stare hard at her pages. Howatch began to take her loyal following of gothic and family-saga readers into unexpected psychological and theological depths, while taking to an extreme, with a serious-novel format, the experiments begun in her family sagas. She also introduced to her readers a character only half-alive in Trollope, the Anglican Church.

A scandal erupts in the Church of England when the married Dean of Starbridge Cathedral becomes involved with a young woman. An obsessive love spirals into a whirlpool of sin and fantasy.

This volume examines the nineteenth century not only through episodes, institutions, sites and representations concerned with union, concord and bonds of sympathy, but also through moments of secession, separation, discord and disjunction. Its lens extends from the local and regional, through to national and international settings in Britain, Europe and the United States. The contributors come from the fields of cultural history, literary studies, American studies and legal history.

Only an Earl Will Do Lady Elizabeth Worthingham, a prominent figure in London society, is obligated to marry well without love, owing to her past mistakes. Henry Andrews, the rakish Earl of Muir, who once failed to act as a gentleman in her time of need, is back in England and is determined to make Elizabeth his wife. However, Elizabeth's reception is icy, and as past hurts and deceptions resurface, their love faces numerous obstacles. A mysterious foe threatens to thwart their love, making the future uncertain for the couple. Only a Duke Will Do Lady Isolde Worthingham captured the Duke of Moore's heart without a formal season, but a scandal on the eve of their wedding sends her fleeing to Scotland, leaving her plans shattered. The Duke, Merrick Mountshaw, dislikes his unhappy marriage and longs for Isolde's return. When she comes back to London, their love is challenged by societal norms and past hurts, raising questions about whether love can triumph in a world governed by strict rules. Only a Viscount Will Do Lady Alice Worthingham defies societal norms with her love for adventure and a sassy attitude. When a highwayman robs her, she discovers that her neighbor, Lord Arndel, leads a double life as the proper viscount by day and the Surrey Bandit by night. Unaware of his dual identity, Lady Alice seeks revenge when she learns the truth, making the gentleman thief pay for his crimes, including stealing his heart. Only a Marquess Will Do Lady Victoria, scarred by a failed marriage, helps her brother's friend, the socially awkward Marquess Albert Kester, find a match. As they navigate London's intricate social scene, Victoria unexpectedly finds herself falling for Albert. In this game of love, rules will be broken, and hearts may be at stake as they explore the fine line between duty and desire. Only a Lady Will Do Duke Josh Worthingham needs a proper lady as his duchess, but the only woman who captures his attention is the unconventional Miss Iris Cooper. Despite her humble connections, Iris dreams of a future with the duke. Can a stolen kiss make her dreams come true, or will their differences and Josh’s dark secret jeopardize their chance at happiness?

Marguerite Duras is France's best-known and most controversial contemporary woman writer. Duras' influence extends from her early novels of the 1950's to her radically innovative experimental autobiographical text of the 1980's The Lover Leslie Hill's book throws new light on Duras' relationship to feminism, psychoanalysis, sexuality, literature, film, politics, and the media. Feted by Kristeva, and Laca who claimed her as almost his other self, Duras is revealed to be a profoundly transgressive thinker and artist. It will be a must for all concerned with contemporary writing, writing by women, recent European cinema, film and literature.

Literary and filmic depictions of the disabled reinforce an "ableist" ideology that classifies bodies as normal or abnormal--positive or negative. Disabled characters are often represented as aberrant or evil and are isolated or incarcerated. This book examines language in film, fiction and other media that perpetuates the representation of the disabled as abnormal or problematic. The author looks at depictions of disability--both disparaging and amusing--and discusses disability theory as a framework for reconsidering "normal" and "abnormal" bodies.