Excerpt

Excerpt from Little Britain, by Washington Irving

I could give rare descriptions of snug junketing parties at which I
have been present; where we played at All-fours, Pope-Joan,
Tome-come-tickle-me, and other choice old games; and where we sometimes
had a good old English country dance to the tune of Sir Roger de
Coverley. Once a year, also, the neighbors would gather together, and
go on a gypsy party to Epping Forest. It would have done any man’s heart
good to see the merriment that took place here as we banqueted on
the grass under the trees. How we made the woods ring with bursts of
laughter at the songs of little Wagstaff and the merry undertaker!
After dinner, too, the young folks would play at blind-man’s-buff and
hide-and-seek; and it was amusing to see them tangled among the briers,
and to hear a fine romping girl now and then squeak from among the
bushes. The elder folks would gather round the cheesemonger and the
apothecary to hear them talk politics; for they generally brought out a
newspaper in their pockets, to pass away time in the country. They
would now and then, to be sure, get a little warm in argument; but
their disputes were always adjusted by reference to a worthy old
umbrella-maker, in a double chin, who, never exactly comprehending the
subject, managed somehow or other to decide in favor of both parties.

All empires, however, says some philosopher or historian, are doomed to
changes and revolutions. Luxury and innovation creep in; factions arise;
and families now and then spring up, whose ambition and intrigues
throw the whole system into confusion. Thus in latter days has the
tranquillity of Little Britain been grievously disturbed, and its golden
simplicity of manners threatened with total subversion by the aspiring
family of a retired butcher.

The family of the Lambs had long been among the most thriving and
popular in the neighborhood; the Miss Lambs were the belles of Little
Britain, and everybody was pleased when Old Lamb had made money enough
to shut up shop, and put his name on a brass plate on his door. In an
evil hour, however, one of the Miss Lambs had the honor of being a lady
in attendance on the Lady Mayoress, at her grand annual ball, on which
occasion she wore three towering ostrich feathers on her head. The
family never got over it; they were immediately smitten with a passion
for high life; set up a one-horse carriage, put a bit of gold lace round
the errand boy’s hat, and have been the talk and detestation of the
whole neighborhood ever since. They could no longer be induced to
play at Pope-Joan or blindman’s-buff; they could endure no dances but
quadrilles, which nobody had ever heard of in Little Britain; and they
took to reading novels, talking bad French, and playing upon the piano.
Their brother, too, who had been articled to an attorney, set up for a
dandy and a critic, characters hitherto unknown in these parts; and
he confounded the worthy folks exceedingly by talking about Kean, the
opera, and the “Edinburgh Review.”

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Explanation

Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from Little Britain by Washington Irving

Context of the Source

Washington Irving (1783–1859), best known for The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle, was a key figure in early American literature who often wrote with a nostalgic, satirical, or humorous tone. Little Britain (1820) is a sketch from The Sketch Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent., a collection of essays and stories that blend travel writing, social commentary, and whimsical storytelling. The sketch depicts a small, insular London neighborhood (Little Britain) as a microcosm of traditional English rural life, now threatened by social climbing and modern pretensions.

Irving’s work often contrasts an idealized past with the encroaching changes of modernity, and this excerpt embodies that tension—celebrating communal joy while lamenting the disruption of social harmony by ambition and affectation.

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Themes in the Excerpt

1. Nostalgia for a Vanishing Past The passage opens with a fond recollection of communal festivities—games like All-fours (a card game), Pope-Joan (a drinking game), and Tome-come-tickle-me (a playful, now-obscure game), along with country dances like Sir Roger de Coverley. These activities evoke a rustic, pre-industrial England where people found joy in simple, shared pleasures. The gypsy parties to Epping Forest (a real woodland near London) reinforce this idyllic vision of nature, laughter, and unpretentious socializing.

   • Key Detail: The "bursts of laughter," "romping girls," and elders debating politics with newspapers in hand paint a picture of a harmonious, if slightly eccentric, community. The "worthy old umbrella-maker" who settles disputes by siding with everyone is a comic figure, but his presence suggests a world where conflicts are resolved with humor and goodwill rather than rigid logic.

2. Social Change and the Corruption of Simplicity The second half of the excerpt shifts to a lament for the decline of this golden age. Irving invokes a philosophical/historical maxim: "All empires... are doomed to changes and revolutions." This frames Little Britain’s transformation as inevitable, almost tragic. The "aspiring family of a retired butcher" (the Lambs) symbolizes the intrusion of luxury, innovation, and ambition—forces that disrupt the neighborhood’s "golden simplicity."

   • Key Detail: The Lambs’ rise is marked by superficial status symbols:
     • A daughter’s attendance at the Lady Mayoress’s ball (with "three towering ostrich feathers") becomes a turning point.
     • They adopt a "one-horse carriage" (a modest but pretentious upgrade), gold lace for the errand boy, and reject traditional games for quadrilles (a fashionable French dance).
     • The brother’s affectations—talking about actor Edmund Kean, the opera, and the Edinburgh Review (a highbrow literary journal)—are foreign to Little Britain’s earthy culture.

3. Satire of Social Climbing and Pretension Irving mocks the Lambs’ attempts to elevate their status, which come across as ridiculous and hollow. Their rejection of Pope-Joan (a game associated with common folk) for quadrilles (associated with the elite) highlights their desire to distance themselves from their roots. The brother’s newfound roles as a "dandy and a critic" are particularly absurd in this setting, where such personas are "hitherto unknown."

   • Key Detail: The Lambs’ behavior is "the talk and detestation of the whole neighborhood," suggesting that their ambition is seen as betrayal. Their shift to reading novels (often viewed as frivolous in conservative circles), speaking bad French, and playing the piano (a marker of "refinement") underscores their performative, rather than genuine, sophistication.

4. Generational and Cultural Conflict The excerpt contrasts the older generation’s traditions with the younger Lambs’ modern affectations. The elders gather to discuss politics (albeit comically), while the youth engage in physical games—until the Lambs disrupt this balance. The brother’s intellectual posturing (name-dropping Kean and the Edinburgh Review) is incomprehensible and alienating to the "worthy folks" of Little Britain, emphasizing a cultural rift.

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Literary Devices

1. Juxtaposition

   • The idyllic past (communal games, forest banquets, harmless debates) is juxtaposed with the disruptive present (the Lambs’ pretensions, quadrilles, and French affectations).
   • The umbrella-maker’s absurd but peaceful conflict resolution contrasts with the Lambs’ divisive ambition.

2. Irony and Satire

   • The Lambs’ "honor" of attending the Lady Mayoress’s ball is undercut by the absurdity of their subsequent behavior (e.g., the errand boy’s gold-laced hat).
   • The brother’s intellectual posturing is ironic because his references (Kean, the Edinburgh Review) are lost on the community, making his "criticism" meaningless in this context.

3. Symbolism

   • Ostrich feathers: Symbolize the Lambs’ inflated self-importance and their attempt to rise above their station.
   • Epping Forest: Represents the natural, unspoiled world of tradition, now threatened by urban affectation.
   • Gold lace and quadrilles: Symbolize the empty trappings of "high life" that the Lambs clumsily adopt.

4. Hyperbole and Comic Exaggeration

   • The description of the gypsy party’s merriment ("made the woods ring with bursts of laughter") is exaggerated for effect.
   • The umbrella-maker’s inability to comprehend disputes but still satisfying both parties is a humorous exaggeration of rural simplicity.

5. Allusion

   • Sir Roger de Coverley: A traditional English country dance, evoking nostalgia for old customs.
   • Edinburgh Review: A prestigious literary journal, mentioned to highlight the brother’s pretentiousness.

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Significance of the Excerpt

1. Critique of Modernity and Social Mobility Irving’s sketch reflects anxieties about the erosion of traditional communities by industrialization, urbanization, and the rise of a new middle class. The Lambs’ aspiration to "high life" is portrayed as destructive, not because ambition is inherently bad, but because it is shallow and disrupts social cohesion. The passage suggests that true happiness lies in communal joy, not in superficial status symbols.

2. Cultural Nostalgia The excerpt idealizes a past where people were content with simple pleasures—games, nature, and neighborly debates. This nostalgia was common in Romantic-era literature, which often contrasted the "pure" rural past with the "corrupt" modern world. Irving’s humor softens the critique, but the underlying message is clear: progress comes at a cost.

3. Class and Identity The Lambs’ transformation highlights the fluidity and performativity of class. Their adoption of elite affectations (French, quadrilles, gold lace) is a masquerade, revealing how class identity can be constructed through superficial markers. The neighborhood’s "detestation" of them suggests that such performativity is seen as inauthentic and threatening to the existing social order.

4. Literary Influence Irving’s blend of humor, satire, and nostalgia influenced later American writers like Mark Twain, who also explored themes of social pretension and the tension between tradition and change. The sketch’s structure—beginning with warmth and ending with lament—is a template for later works that critique modernity through a rose-tinted view of the past.

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Focus on the Text Itself: Close Reading

1. Opening Sentences: Communal Joy

   • "I could give rare descriptions of snug junketing parties..."
     • "Snug" and "junketing" (feasting) set a tone of cozy, shared pleasure.
     • The games listed (All-fours, Pope-Joan, Tome-come-tickle-me) are obscure today, emphasizing the distance between the reader’s time and this idealized past.
   • "How we made the woods ring with bursts of laughter..."
     • The sensory detail ("ring with bursts of laughter") immerses the reader in the scene’s vitality.
     • The "merry undertaker" is a darkly comic touch, suggesting that even death is part of this community’s humor.

2. The Umbrella-Maker: Comic Resolution

   • "...managed somehow or other to decide in favor of both parties."
     • The umbrella-maker’s double chin is a physical detail that underscores his jovial, non-threatening nature.
     • His inability to comprehend the subject but still pleasing everyone satirizes how rural communities might prioritize harmony over logic.

3. The Shift: "All empires... are doomed to changes"

   • This philosophical interjection signals the turn from nostalgia to critique. The word "empires" is ironic—Little Britain is a tiny neighborhood, not a grand civilization, but its "golden simplicity" is treated as equally precious and fragile.

4. The Lambs’ Transformation: Satirical Details

   • "one of the Miss Lambs had the honor of being a lady in attendance on the Lady Mayoress..."
     • "Honor" is undercut by the absurdity of the ostrich feathers—a garish, over-the-top symbol of their new aspirations.
   • "They could no longer be induced to play at Pope-Joan or blindman’s-buff..."
     • The rejection of these games isn’t just a change in taste; it’s a rejection of the community’s values.
   • "they took to reading novels, talking bad French, and playing upon the piano."
     • Each activity is a cliché of pretentiousness: novels were often seen as frivolous, "bad French" mocks their failed sophistication, and the piano was a status symbol for the aspiring middle class.

5. The Brother’s Affectations

   • "he confounded the worthy folks exceedingly by talking about Kean, the opera, and the 'Edinburgh Review.'"
     • The verb "confounded" suggests the brother’s references are not just unfamiliar but disruptive.
     • Kean (a famous tragic actor) and the opera represent high culture, while the Edinburgh Review was a serious literary journal—all alien to Little Britain’s world.

6. Final Tone: Lament and Disdain

   • "they have been the talk and detestation of the whole neighborhood ever since."
     • "Detestation" is a strong word, revealing the community’s hostility to change.
     • The passage ends on a note of moral judgment: the Lambs’ ambition is not just misguided but destructive to the social fabric.

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Conclusion: Why This Matters

Irving’s excerpt is more than a quaint sketch; it’s a microcosm of broader cultural anxieties about change, class, and authenticity. The text’s power lies in its contrasts:

• Joy vs. Pretension: The warmth of the gypsy parties vs. the Lambs’ hollow affectations.
• Community vs. Individualism: Shared games and debates vs. the Lambs’ self-centered social climbing.
• Tradition vs. Modernity: The umbrella-maker’s harmless absurdity vs. the brother’s alienating intellectualism.

By focusing on the specificity of the text—the games named, the ostrich feathers, the umbrella-maker’s double chin—Irving makes the abstract (nostalgia, social change) feel vivid and personal. The excerpt invites readers to laugh at the Lambs but also to reflect on what is lost when communities prioritize appearance over substance. In this way, Little Britain remains a timeless commentary on the human tension between progress and preservation.