I Capture the Castle facts for kids
First British edition, William Heinemann, 1949
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| Author | Dodie Smith |
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| Illustrator | Ruth Steed, from sketches by the author |
| Country | United Kingdom, United States, Canada |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Set in | Suffolk and London, 1930s |
| Publisher | William Heinemann (UK); McClelland and Stewart (CA); Little, Brown (US) |
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Publication date
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1948 |
| Media type | Print: hardback |
| OCLC | 24724940 |
| 823.914 | |
I Capture the Castle is the first novel by the English writer Dodie Smith. She wrote it during the Second World War while living in California. She missed her home and wrote about a happier time in the 1930s. Dodie Smith was already a well-known playwright. She later became famous for writing the children's book The Hundred and One Dalmatians.
The novel tells the story of the Mortmain family. They are an unusual family struggling with being poor while living in a falling-apart castle. The story is told by Cassandra Mortmain, a smart teenager. She writes everything in her journal. It is a coming-of-age story, which means Cassandra grows from a girl into a young woman by the end of the book.
In 2003, the BBC listed the novel at number 82 in their survey called The Big Read.
Contents
The Story of I Capture the Castle
The story of I Capture the Castle happens over six months. It takes place between April and October in one year during the 1930s. The Mortmain family is polite but poor and very quirky.
Meet the Mortmain Family
Cassandra's father is a writer. He has not written anything new since his first book, Jacob Wrestling. This book was very popular and made him famous. Ten years before the story begins, he rented a beautiful but old castle. He hoped to find new ideas or peace there. Now, his family has to sell their furniture to buy food.
Mr. Mortmain's second wife is Topaz. She is a beautiful artist's model. She loves being in nature, sometimes wearing very little. Rose is Mr. Mortmain's older daughter. She is a classic English beauty. She feels stuck in the lonely castle. Rose dreams of meeting rich young men to marry. She tells Cassandra she wants to live in a Jane Austen novel.
Cassandra is the younger daughter. She is the one telling the story through her journal. She wants to be a writer. She spends a lot of time writing down everything around her. Stephen is the handsome and loyal son of the Mortmain family's old maid. He lives with them. Thomas is the youngest Mortmain child and a schoolboy. Stephen is in love with Cassandra. She finds this sweet but a little awkward. Thomas, like Cassandra, is considered "tolerably bright."
New Neighbors Arrive
Things change when the Cottons move in. They are a very rich American family. They inherit Scoatney Hall, which is nearby. They become the Mortmains' new landlords. Cassandra and Rose quickly become interested in the two unmarried Cotton brothers, Simon and Neil.
Neil grew up in California. He is a free-spirited young man. He wants to become a rancher in the United States. Simon grew up in New England. He is serious and loves the English countryside. Simon is the older brother and much richer than Neil. Rose is not attracted to Simon. But she decides she will marry him if she can. She says she would marry anyone to escape being poor.
Friendship and Romance
At their first meeting, the Cottons find the Mortmains amusing. The next day, the brothers visit again. Rose, who is not used to dating, flirts too much with Simon. She makes herself look silly. Both brothers are put off by this. As they leave, Cassandra hears them say they will stop seeing the Mortmains.
But after a funny event involving a fur coat, everyone forgives each other. The two families become good friends. Rose decides she really does like Simon. Cassandra and Topaz try to help Simon propose to Rose. Simon falls in love with Rose and asks her to marry him.
Surprising Twists
Rose and Topaz go to London with Mrs. Cotton. They go to buy Rose's wedding clothes. While they are away, Cassandra and Simon spend an evening together. They end up kissing. Cassandra becomes very interested in Simon. But she feels guilty because he is Rose's fiancé.
Cassandra decides she must gently turn down Stephen's offer of love. She also encourages him in his new career as a model and actor. She and Thomas work together to help their father write again. They do this by locking him in a medieval tower! Cassandra also deals with her growing feelings for Simon. She writes everything down in her journal.
Meanwhile, Rose and Neil have been falling in love. Only Stephen notices this. To hide their romance, they pretend to dislike each other. When they finally elope (run away to get married), Simon is heartbroken. But Cassandra feels hopeful.
Before Simon leaves to go back to the United States, he visits Cassandra. She still has feelings for him. But she changes the subject when she thinks he might propose to her. She believes he is still in love with Rose. The book ends with Cassandra reminding herself that Simon promised to return. She closes her journal for good, still saying she loves him.
Adaptations
- Dodie Smith turned her novel into a two-act play in 1954.
- In 1963, Walt Disney Productions planned to make a film of the novel. They wanted Hayley Mills to play Cassandra. However, Disney never made the movie.
- Heidi Thomas wrote a screenplay for the novel. Tim Fywell directed the film in 2003. Romola Garai starred as Cassandra.
- In November 2015, BBC Radio 4 broadcast an adaptation. Jane Rogers wrote it, and Nadia Molinari directed. Holliday Grainger played Cassandra, and Toby Jones played Mortmain.
- A musical version with songs by Teresa Howard and Steven Edis was first performed in April 2017. It was at the Watford Palace Theatre. Brigid Larmour directed it.
- Another musical version was created by Marion Adler and Peter Foley. It was developed at Pace New Musicals in New York.
