The Absentee facts for kids
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| Author | Maria Edgeworth |
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| Country | Ireland |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
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Publication date
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1812 |
| Pages | 320 (Penguin classics, paperback) |
| ISBN | 978-0140436457 |
The Absentee is a novel written by Maria Edgeworth. It was published in 1812 as part of her book Tales of Fashionable Life. The story shows the problems caused by rich landowners who lived in England but owned land in Ireland. These "absentee landlords" often didn't care about the Irish people or their land. The novel also describes the difficult lives of the Irish farmers and poor people.
The book shares many ideas with Edgeworth's first novel, Castle Rackrent. It talks about how treating land only as a way to make money, instead of caring for the people and the land itself, can lead to big problems.
Contents
What is The Absentee About?
The story follows a young man named Lord Colambre. He is the main hero of the novel.
Colambre's Family Problems
As Colambre gets older, he notices problems in his family. His mother, Lady Clonbrony, tries very hard to become popular with the rich people in London. But her efforts are often made fun of. Because of her expensive lifestyle, and his own lack of care, Colambre's father, Lord Clonbrony, gets into serious debt. This means he owes a lot of money. A moneylender threatens to take their property if they don't pay.
Colambre's mother wants him to marry a rich young woman named Miss Broadhurst. But Colambre is already in love with his cousin, Grace Nugent. Grace lives with the family and is a friend to Lady Clonbrony. Colambre worries his mother will force him to marry someone he doesn't love. So, he decides to leave London and visit his family's old home in County Wicklow, Ireland.
Colambre's Journey to Ireland
When Colambre arrives in Dublin, he becomes good friends with Sir James Brooke. Sir James is a good influence and warns Colambre about some new people in Dublin society. These are Lady Dashfort and her daughter, Lady Isobel. Everyone knows that Lady Dashfort wants to find a rich Irish husband for her daughter.
Despite Sir James's warning, Colambre starts to spend time with Lady Dashfort. She hopes to get him to marry Lady Isobel. By chance, a former maid from the Clonbrony house tells Lady Dashfort that Colambre loves Grace Nugent. To stop this, Lady Dashfort cleverly spreads a rumor. She says that Grace was born outside of marriage, meaning she is not legitimate. Colambre's mother confirms this in a letter. Even though his mother is focused on social climbing, she loves Grace very much and had never told her about her birth. Colambre is heartbroken and feels he cannot love a woman with such a background.
Solving Problems in Ireland
Colambre visits his family's estate in Ireland. He finds that his father's managers are treating the local farmers very badly. They are also probably cheating his father. Colambre reveals who he is to these managers.
A race begins back to London. Colambre wants to stop his father from signing papers that would harm the good farmers and also trick his father and himself. The dishonest managers are trying to get the papers signed quickly.
Colambre makes it back just in time. He stops his father from making a terrible mistake. He then helps his father pay off his debts. But Colambre makes one condition: the Clonbrony family must return to live in Ireland.
In the end, it is discovered that Grace is actually legitimate. She also turns out to be an heiress, meaning she will inherit a lot of money. This clears the way for Colambre and Grace to be together.
