The Go-Between Revision Cards

Revision cards for The Go-Between, L. P. Hartley

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  • Created by: Alicia
  • Created on: 23-10-13 22:05

CHARACTERS - LEO COLSTON

  • Only child in moderaltely well-off family
  • Educated at home until death of father
  • Imaginative child who's fascinated by signs of zodiac
  • Doesn't make friends easily
  • V. conformist
  • Success of 'curse' raises his self-esteem
  • Half believes he has magical powers
  • Nearly 13
  • Just beginning to be conscious of himself as person
  • Searching for some-one to act as role model
  • Admires Trimmingham
  • Ignorant of facts of life
  • Identifies Marian with sign of Virgo in his diary
  • Sensitive
  • Shares anguish of Marian & Ted
  • Sympathises with Marian's predicament
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CHARACTERS - MARION MAUDSLEY

  • Beautiful young woman from upper-middle class family
  • Not free to follow her own feelings
  • Torn between her new love for Ted Burgess and Lord Trimmingham
  • Determined
  • Genuinely loves Ted
  • Doesn't want to see Ted hurt
  • Critical of Ted's suicide
  • Has cruel streak in her character
  • Snubs Trimmingham on more than 1 occassion
  • Turns quite viciously on Leo when he stops taking messages
  • Does have good side too
  • Basically kind
  • Can be manipulative
  • Seems fond of Leo
  • Not prepared to accept responsibility
  • Suffers as result of her actions
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CHARACTERS - TED BURGESS

  • Working farmer
  • Allows himself to be dominated by Marian
  • Marian calls his beh. in shooting himself weak
  • Caught up in situation which can only lead to disaster
  • Embarrassed at being centre of attention
  • His physical strengths impressive
  • Contrasts with Marian in he has more concern over Leo
  • Tries to offer Leo something in return
  • Also writes him genuine letter of apology
  • Doesn't patronise Leo
  • Has his dignity
  • It's tribute to his personality he's character Leo feels most of at end of affair
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CHARACTERS - HUGH, 9th VISCOUNT TRIMMINGHAM

  • Member of aristocracy
  • Tactfully saves Leo from embarrasment over title
  • Genuinely kind to Leo
  • Sensitive to feelings of Leo
  • He too employs Leo as messenger
  • Contributes to Leo's feeling special by calling him Mercury
  • He seems to be genuinely in love with Marian
  • Doesn't seem to have any mercenary motive in marrying her
  • 'Nothing is ever a lady's fault'
  • Dignified strength's shown in way he brings up Marian and Ted's son
  • He impresses Leo with his admirable character
  • behaves with impeciable courtesy
  • No suggestion he wants to get Ted out way
  • Encourages Ted to enlist out of patriotism
  • Already demonstrated his own bravery
  • Seems to be good landlord
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CHARACTERS - MARCUS MAUDSLEY

  • Fellow school pupil of Leo
  • Mealses outbreak has bought them together
  • He's year young than Leo
  • Favourite word of criticim's 'boring'
  • He's fascinated by adult world
  • It's he who tells his mother where Ted & Marian meet
  • Snob who criticises Leo's knowledge of etiquette
  • More quick-witted than Leo
  • He can be spiteful
  • His role in novel's in part to act as informant to Leo
  • His self-assurance also highlights Leo's sense of inferiority
  • His illness in part leads to Leo becoming go-between
  • He's tragically killed in WW1
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CHARACTERS - MRS MAUDSLEY

  • Presented initially as v. strong character
  • Has v. piercing eyes which seem to reflect her strong will
  • Strain of successfully bringing about Marian's engagement to Trimmingham begins to show
  • People aren't at ease in her company
  • When she's ill house takes on more relaxed atmosphere
  • Not v. sensitive to feelings of others
  • Makes Leo cry over not having any summer clothes
  • Marcus is her favourite
  • She's rather sarcastic to older son
  • Partly to blame for Leo's breakdown
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CHARACTERS - MR MAUDSLEY

  • Silent, reserved man
  • Seems at 1st to be dominated by wife
  • Takes temp. readings begin to fascinate Leo
  • Cricket match shows hidden strength of his character
  • He has some shrewd suspicions of Ted Burgess
  • Represents new upper-middle class who have made their own money
  • Arising in importance compared to inherited status of aristocracy
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CHARACTERS - DENYS MAUDSLEY

  • Marcus' older brother
  • No mentions made of his employment
  • His character's displayed in his enthusiastic innings
  • He's in awe of his mother
  • Little to say to Leo
  • Typical member of snobbish upper-middle class
  • Lack of intelligence provides contrst to Trimmingham
  • Tragically killed in WW1
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CHARACTERS - MRS COLSTON

  • Leo's mother
  • Her reluctance to spend money on summer clothes means he can't cope with heatwave
  • Close but Leo still finds it hard to confide in her
  • Catastrophe might have been averted if she had responded differently to Leo's 2 contradictory letter's home
  • She has v. strong sense of what's right & wrong
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THEMES - GROWING UP

  • Most important theme in novel
  • Leo's shown as just beginning to tire of childish amusements
  • He's flattered when Ted tells him he's brave
  • Hate's it when older people treat hum as child
  • He likes being centre of attention
  • Desire to behave responsibility leads him into saying goodbye to Ted
  • It was his wish to sound grown up mafe him offer to take 1st letter
  • Still child in many ways
  • Misunderstands lot of adult lang.
  • He & Marcus use schoolboy slang
  • When he has his new green suit, he becomes Robin Hood
  • Like child he likes to feel special
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THEMES - SELF AWARENESS

  • Linked to theme of growing up
  • Leo's beginning to feel concious of himself
  • Tea party shows him aware for 1st time how he must look to other people
  • He feels awkward on swimming expedition
  • He's initially horrified at idea of singing at concert
  • It's partly his growing sense of himself as person which makes him feel responsible for events he finds himself involved in
  • He's v. hurt when he thinks they have all been mocking his naivety
  • Marcus on other hands already aware of significance of appearance
  • He points out to Leo differently in their social status means Trimmingham can get away with wearing bow-tie
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THEME - BETRAYAL OF INNOCENCE

  • L. P. Hartley himself used this phrase to describe way Leo was treated by Marian & Ted
  • Increasingly relied upon Leo
  • Both used emotional blackmail
  • Ted realised it was Marian who made Leo cry
  • Ted also treated Leo almost as equal
  • Leo doesn't feel exploited by Ted
  • Marian's responsibility's perhaps greater
  • Quickly realises Leo's potential as messenger
  • She shows no awareness he might be finding his role as messenger strain
  • She encourages his obvious devotion to her
  • She knows how naive he is
  • Marian burdens him with her misery
  • Lashes out at him
  • It's her recklessness leads to trauma
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THEMES - MEMORY & IMPORTANCE OF PAST

  • Shown by words L. P. Hartley uses to open story
  • Past has had profound effect on this elderly man
  • We know some of outcomes before we learn of events
  • This ideas reinforced by his meeting with young Edward
  • There's added impact of events of 20th century
  • Leo's memory for long time blanked out past
  • As he relives past he's able to get events into better perspective
  • Marian's grandson too refuses to talk to her about past
  • End of novel suggests Leo will be able to help him to understand situation
  • There's kind of irony in Marian used Nanny Robson's poor memory as excuse for forgetting visits
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CONTEXT & SETTING

  • Main part of novel takes place in late-Victorian England
  • Victorious long rain in of over 60 years saw many changes in education
  • British empire covered v.large area of world
  • Exports bought great wealth to country
  • There were no signs prosperity could ever declince
  • Year 1900 marked new century
  • Branham Hall's tryocal of large country house of perios
  • Hall sees itself as serperate from neighbouring villages
  • It's run by large number of servants
  • Leo's not expected to fold his clothes himself
  • House's always full of visitors
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