Article #285-1 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from The Lost Continent, by Charles John Cutcliffe Wright Hyne

By this time the merchants, and the other dwellers adjacent to this part
of the harbour, where the royal quay stands, had come down, offering
changes of raiment, and houses to retire into. Phorenice was all
graciousness, and though it was little enough I cared for mere wetness
of my coat, still that part of the harbour into which we had been thrown
by the mammoth was not over savoury, and I was glad enough to follow her
example. For myself, I said no further word to Nais, and refrained even
from giving her a glance of farewell. But a small sop like this was no
meal for Phorenice, and she gave the port-captain strict orders for the
guarding of his prisoner before she left him.

At the house into which I was ushered they gave me a bath, and I eased
my host of the plainest garment in his store, and he was pleased enough
at getting off so cheaply. But I had an hour to spend outside on the
pavement listening to the distant din of bombardment before Phorenice
came out to me again, and I could not help feeling some grim amusement
at the face of the merchant who followed. The fellow was clearly ruined.
He had a store of jewels and gauds of the most costly kind, which were
only in fraction his own, seeing that he had bought them (as the custom
is) in partnership with other merchants. These had pleased Phorenice’s
eye, and so she had taken all and disposed them on her person.

“Are they not pretty?” said she, showing them to me. “See how they flash
under the sun. I am quite glad now, Deucalion, that the mammoth gave us
that furious ride and that spill, since it has brought me such a bonny
present. You may tell the fellow here that some day when he has earned
some more, I will come and be his guest again. Ah! They have brought us
litters, I see. Well, send one away and do you share mine with me, sir.
We must play at being lovers to-day, even if love is a matter which will
come to us both with more certainty to-morrow. No; do not order more
bearers. My own slaves will carry us handily enough. I am glad you
are not one of your gross, overfed men, Deucalion. I am small and slim
myself, and I do not want to be husbanded by a man who will overshadow
me.”

Explanation

**Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from The Lost Continent by C.J. Cutcliffe Hyne**

Context of the Source

The Lost Continent (1899) is a speculative fiction novel by Charles John Cutcliffe Wright Hyne, blending elements of adventure, lost civilizations, and prehistoric survival. The story follows Deucalion, a man from a highly advanced but now-lost civilization (Atlantis), who recounts his experiences in a world dominated by prehistoric creatures and warring human factions.

The novel is part of the late 19th-century "lost world" genre, which includes works like She (H. Rider Haggard) and The Time Machine (H.G. Wells). Hyne’s work is notable for its pseudo-historical framing, presenting itself as a translated manuscript from an ancient survivor. The excerpt provided depicts Phorenice, a powerful and manipulative queen, interacting with Deucalion after a chaotic encounter with a mammoth.

Themes in the Excerpt

Power and Exploitation
- Phorenice embodies tyrannical authority, using her position to take what she wants without consequence. She ruins a merchant by seizing his jewels, showing no remorse—only amusement.
- The port-captain is ordered to guard Nais strictly, demonstrating Phorenice’s control over others’ fates.
- Deucalion, though a protagonist, is complicit in her actions, suggesting how power corrupts even those who observe it.
Gender and Dominance
- Phorenice inverts traditional gender roles—she is the aggressor, the one who chooses her partner (Deucalion), and dictates terms.
- She mocks the idea of a "gross, overfed man" overshadowing her, reinforcing her desire for dominance in both physical and political senses.
- Her command to share a litter is both a power play and a seductive maneuver, blurring the line between romance and manipulation.
Materialism and Vanity
- Phorenice’s delight in the jewels ("Are they not pretty?") reveals her shallow, hedonistic nature.
- She justifies her theft by framing it as a gift from fate ("I am quite glad now that the mammoth gave us that furious ride"), showing her self-serving worldview.
- The merchant’s ruin is treated as a joke, emphasizing her disregard for others’ suffering.
Survival and Adaptation
- The harbor scene (mammoth attack, wet clothes, bombardment) sets a chaotic, unstable world where only the cunning thrive.
- Deucalion’s pragmatism (accepting dry clothes, following Phorenice) contrasts with his moral ambiguity—he does not resist her cruelty.
Performance and Deception
- Phorenice orders Deucalion to "play at being lovers," suggesting their relationship is theatrical—a performance for power, not genuine affection.
- Her line about love coming "with more certainty to-morrow" implies calculated seduction, not spontaneity.

Literary Devices & Stylistic Choices

Irony & Dark Humor
- The merchant’s ruin is described with grim amusement ("I could not help feeling some grim amusement at the face of the merchant").
- Phorenice’s cheerful theft ("I am quite glad now… since it has brought me such a bonny present") is darkly comedic, highlighting her moral bankruptcy.
Dialogue as Character Revelation
- Phorenice’s speech is commanding, playful, and cruel—she orders, teases, and threatens in the same breath.
- Her shift from business ("tell the fellow here") to intimacy ("share mine with me") shows her manipulative charm.
- Deucalion’s silence (no farewell to Nais, no protest) makes him a passive observer, complicit in her actions.
Sensory & Visual Imagery
- The jewels flashing in the sun create a vivid, luxurious image, contrasting with the merchant’s despair.
- The harbor’s "unsavoury" smell and bombardment din ground the scene in gritty realism, despite the fantastical setting.
Foreshadowing
- Phorenice’s promise to return to the merchant ("when he has earned some more") suggests future exploitation.
- Her mention of love coming "to-morrow" hints at future manipulation—she controls when and how affection is given.
Contrast Between Characters
- Phorenice = Active, dominant, ruthless
- Deucalion = Passive, pragmatic, morally ambiguous
- Merchant = Powerless, ruined, silent victim

Significance of the Passage

Phorenice as a Villainess
- She is not a traditional femme fatale but a ruler who weaponizes charm and cruelty.
- Her lack of remorse makes her a symbol of unchecked power, reflecting real-world tyrants who justify oppression.
Deucalion’s Moral Ambiguity
- His inaction (not helping Nais, not resisting Phorenice) makes him a flawed protagonist, forcing readers to question who is truly "good" in this world.
Critique of Materialism & Power
- The scene satirizes greed—Phorenice takes pleasure in ruining others for her own gain, mirroring colonial exploitation (a common theme in lost-world stories).
- The merchant’s silent suffering represents the powerless under tyranny.
World-Building & Tone
- The chaotic harbor, mammoth attack, and bombardment reinforce the dangerous, unstable world of the novel.
- Phorenice’s casual cruelty sets the tone for a brutal, survival-of-the-fittest society.

Conclusion: Why This Excerpt Matters

This passage is a microcosm of the novel’s central conflicts:

Power vs. Morality (Phorenice’s dominance vs. Deucalion’s complicity)
Survival vs. Exploitation (taking what you need vs. ruining others)
Performance vs. Reality (fake romance, real control)

Hyne uses sharp dialogue, dark humor, and vivid imagery to create a morally complex scene where no one is truly innocent. Phorenice’s charming villainy makes her one of the most memorable characters in the novel, embodying the ruthless survivalism of a lost world.

Would you like a deeper analysis of any specific aspect (e.g., historical influences, comparisons to other lost-world literature)?

Questions

Question 1

The narrator’s observation that he “could not help feeling some grim amusement at the face of the merchant who followed” primarily serves to:

A. Underscore the universal human tendency to derive schadenfreude from others’ misfortunes, framing it as an inevitable psychological response.
B. Highlight the corrosive influence of Phorenice’s power by demonstrating how her moral corruption seeps into the narrator’s own reactions.
C. Provide comic relief in an otherwise tense scene, using dark humor to contrast the absurdity of the merchant’s plight with the gravity of the bombardment.
D. Establish the narrator’s emotional detachment as a survival mechanism in a world where empathy is a liability.
E. Critique the merchant’s own greed by implying his suffering is a just consequence of his participation in exploitative trade partnerships.

Question 2

Phorenice’s command to “send one [litter] away and do you share mine with me” is most effectively interpreted as an act of:

A. Romantic spontaneity, revealing her capacity for genuine affection beneath her tyrannical exterior.
B. Strategic vulnerability, calculated to disarm Deucalion by forcing physical proximity under the guise of intimacy.
C. Logistical pragmatism, driven solely by the desire to conserve resources in a time of war.
D. Public posturing, designed to reinforce her image as a benevolent ruler who shares her comforts with her subjects.
E. Performative domination, compelling Deucalion to enact a role that consolidates her control over both his body and his social perception.

Question 3

The merchant’s silent ruin in this passage functions as a narrative device to:

A. Serve as a cautionary tale about the dangers of materialism, warning readers against the moral pitfalls of wealth accumulation.
B. Illustrate the economic fragility of the civilization, suggesting that its collapse is imminent due to systemic financial instability.
C. Humanize Phorenice by showing that her actions, while harsh, are necessary to maintain order in a lawless society.
D. Embody the novel’s central critique of unchecked power, where the suffering of the powerless is rendered invisible or trivialized.
E. Foreshadow Deucalion’s eventual downfall, as his complicity in the merchant’s fate marks the beginning of his moral descent.

Question 4

When Phorenice remarks, “We must play at being lovers to-day, even if love is a matter which will come to us both with more certainty to-morrow,” the tension between “play” and “certainty” most strongly suggests that:

A. She is genuinely uncertain about her feelings for Deucalion but hopes that time will clarify her emotions.
B. Her conception of love is transactional, where affection is a reward to be bestowed only after loyalty has been proven.
C. The performative aspect of their relationship is a deliberate strategy to obscure the coercive nature of her power over him.
D. She views love as a social construct, something that can be manufactured through repeated performance until it feels authentic.
E. The bombardment and chaos of the harbor have forced her to prioritize survival over genuine emotional connection.

Question 5

The passage’s depiction of Phorenice’s seizure of the jewels and her interaction with the merchant is most analogous to which of the following historical or literary scenarios?

A. A feudal lord demanding tribute from peasants, where the exchange is framed as a mutual obligation rather than exploitation.
B. A colonial administrator appropriating indigenous artifacts, justifying the theft as a civilizing act or a reward for perceived cultural superiority.
C. A revolutionary leader redistributing wealth from the bourgeoisie to the proletariat, using force to correct systemic inequality.
D. A trickster figure in folklore outwitting a greedy merchant, where the theft is celebrated as a moral lesson.
E. A monarch exercising the droit du seigneur, where the taking of valuables is a ritualized assertion of divine right over subjects.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: B

Why B is most correct: The narrator’s “grim amusement” is not a neutral or universal reaction (A) but a direct reflection of Phorenice’s corrupting influence. The passage emphasizes how her tyrannical behavior normalizes cruelty—even the narrator, who is not inherently sadistic, finds himself adopting her callous perspective. This aligns with the novel’s critique of how power warps morality, making B the most textually and thematically supported answer.