On Eccentric Old Ladies

Anne here. I was at lunch today with a couple of friends who also write historical romance, and, as is usual with writers, the talk turned to our latest projects, and, since I was of two minds as to which direction to go with my current plot, I ended up explaining it to them. This is my new series — the Chance sisters series — and I was explaining the background of the story to my friends, and was explaining that there’s an old lady in the series, Lady Beatrice, who’s crucial to the plot, when one friend immediately said, “Oh, good, I always love your feisty old ladies,” and the other friend agreed.

I must admit, I was a little surprised. It hadn’t even occurred to me that I’d written all that many old ladies, but on the long, slow drive home (in peak hour traffic — it was a long lunch‚ after all) I thought about it, and to my surprise I realized I actually have written quite a few. And that I really do like including them in my stories. So then I started wondering where the inspiration for these old ladies came from.

(By the way, as some of you know, I often make story collages as an aid to my writing. This is the face I chose for my Lady Beatrice character. Familiar? It should be to those of you in the USA.)

The inspiration didn't come from my grandmothers. Both of them were quite fearsome in very different ways. One was a large, blunt, no-nonsense Irishwoman, who thought little girls were were generally a nuisance and were only there to be be silent and useful. She herself talked non-stop, so there was little chance of any child getting a word in anyway.

The other grandmother was quite a different kettle of fish — elegant, quiet, rather haughty. I don’t recall her ever raising her voice — she didn’t need to. She was the mistress of the cutting remark — nothing was ever quite good enough for her — and nobody. Certainly not the youngest grandchild (me.)

So wherever my fondness for old lady characters came from, it wasn’t from life. Certainly Georgette Heyer was an influence — her books are dotted with wonderfully spirited dowagers and other old ladies of great character, women who use all kinds of methods to get their way, sometimes through control of the family purse-strings, and occasionally employing more subtle weapons such as the vinaigrette and hartshorn. I love, for instance this quote from The Corinthian:

“The third member of the party, reclining limply on the satin sofa, was a lady with quite as much determination as her daughter, and a far more subtle way of getting her wishes attended to. A widow of ten years' standing, Lady Wyndham enjoyed the frailest health. The merest hint of opposition was too much for the delicate state of her nerves; and anyone, observing her handkerchief, her vinaigrette, and the hartshorn which she usually kept by her, would have had to be stupid indeed to have failed to appreciate their sinister message. In youth, she had been a beauty; in middle age, everything about her seemed to have faded: hair, cheeks, eyes, and even her voice, which was plaintive, and so gentle that it was a wonder it ever made itself heard. Like her daughter, Lady Wyndham had excellent taste in dress, and since she was fortunate enough to possess a very ample jointure she was able to indulge her liking for the most expensive fal-lals of fashion without in any way curtailing her other expenses. This did not prevent her from thinking herself very badly off, but she was able to enjoy many laments over her straitened circumstances without feeling the least real pinch of poverty, and to win the sympathy of her acquaintances by dwelling sadly on the injustice of her late husband's will, which had placed his only son in the sole possession of his immense fortune. The jointure, her friends deduced hazily, was the veriest pittance.”

A masterly summing up, is it not? Then of course, there’s Jane Austen, and her glorious Lady Catherine De Burgh.

"What is that you are saying, Fitzwilliam? What is it you are talking of? What are you telling Miss Bennet? Let me hear what it is."

"We are speaking of music, Madam," said he, when no longer able to avoid a reply.



"Of music! Then pray speak aloud. It is of all subjects my delight. I must have my share in the conversation, if you are speaking of music. There are few people in England, I suppose, who have more true enjoyment of music than myself, or a better natural taste. If I had ever learnt, I should have been a great proficient. And so would Anne, if her health had allowed her to apply. I am confident that she would have performed delightfully. How does Georgiana get on, Darcy?"

P.G.Wodehouse is undoubtedly another influence on me, especially the Bertie Wooster books. Bertie had a seemingly endless supply of aunts, all women of great determination and spirit, who make poor Bertie’s life a misery by requiring him to be useful — a fearful fate for a young man about town. His attitude to them is perhaps best summed up by the title, Aunts Aren’t Gentlemen.

And then there’s Stella Gibbons’s magnificent grandmother who holds all the members of her considerable family in an iron grip, slaves to her will, on the grounds that when she was but a slip of a girl, “she saw something nasty in the woodshed.” Until, of course, the heroine of that books arrives and proceeds to unravel all the ties that bind, in most hilarious fashion.

So of course, these literary forebears go a long way in explaining why I so enjoy including the odd eccentric old lady (and the occasional old gentleman) in my books. Old ladies (and old gentleman) are wonderful for a touch of comedy — they are generally beyond the age of having to seek society’s approval— indeed they often care nothing for what others might think—and as a result often of having lived a very comfortable and privileged life, have acquired the expectation that things will happen the way they want — and if not, they’ll dashed well make it happen! Through whatever means they can.

Then there’s a rich history of magnificent old ladies on TV and in movies — Maggie Smith’s character in Downton Abbey, for instance, and Judi Dench has played plenty of wonderful roles. I used to adore Dame Margaret Rutherford, who played so many dotty and eccentric old ladies.

So let’s hear from you — do you enjoy eccentric older characters in books, TV or movies? Who are some of your favorites?

And can you identify the lady in the portrait at the top of this post? 

Comments

[LenoreJ]

Hello, Dolly! Madison, that is. Our shrewd, sassy and savvy first lady. Go to Montpelier sometime. They've restored it and it is as if you are visiting the Madosons in 1811!

[Donna]

I saw the title of this post and thought, "How nice, a post about moi!" ;-)

Being one, of course I love older, eccentric characters in books and movies. You've already named the queens of the genre, but another that springs to mind is Anna Massey, who played Miss Laetitia Prism in The Importance of Being Earnest. Judi Dench also did a marvelous job in that one as well.

[Sharon Osenga]

Dolley Madison, I believe.

I also love Judy Parfitt - most recently seen here in the states on the wonderful series Call the Midwife.

[Anne Gracie]

Lenore, you're spot on! My Lady Beatrice isn't like Dolly Madison in personality, of course, but this painting evoked her in my imagination. I will try to visit Montpelier the next time I'm in the states.

[Anne Gracie]

LOL Donna. Oh, the Importance of Being Earnest — I think every old lady who ever played the role of Lady Bracknell would qualify. Dame Edith Evans was another. "A handbag? A handbag?"

[Anne Gracie]

Yes,Sharon, this painting of an older Dolly Madison was just right for my Lady Beatrice.

Call the Midwife is a superb show, isn't it? And I agree, Judy Parfitt is terrific in it. She was also wonderful in Little Dorritt.

[Cynthia Owens]

Great post, Anne. One of my favorite TV shows growing up was "The Waltons," and one of my favorite characters was Esther Walton, the grandmother. I used her as a model for Grannie Meg in my Irish-set series. She's brisk, feisty, and has a heart of gold.

[Anne Gracie]

Oh, and Cynthia, while you've reminded me of Tv shows, how could I forget about Grannie in the Beverley Hillbillies — certainly a favorite old lady of mine.

I never watched The Waltons — I think they coincided with the period of my life when we didn't have TV.

[Nicola Cornick]

Wonderful post, Anne! I adore eccentric elderly characters in books and have written quite a few myself. My favourite TV incarnation is currently Dame Maggie Smith as the Dowager Countess of Grantham in Downton Abbey. She gets all the best one liners. I've never liked Lady Catherine De Burgh and consider her a monster, albeit a very well written one. I think I have to find something likeable in the eccentric old lady character for her to appeal to me.

In real life there was an elderly lady who was a neighbour of ours for many years who was the personification of everything I love about eccentric old age. She had had the most extraordinary life and was sharp and witty and interesting but also very lovable. I will model myself on her as I grow older!

[Patricia Rice]

I love eccentric characters of any age, but you've pinpointed some truly exceptional models of the notorious dowager! Now I have to dig out my Wooster and Heyer and re-read!

[Isobel Carr]

How could anyone not love an eccentric old lady? I can't help but include them, and while I'm influenced by all the ones you mentioned, my own maternal grandmother is an endless source of inspiration too. She’d feisty and cantankerous and willful in all the best ways. And as she’d got older, she’d lost what little filter she had. Last year when she had a small stroke, the first thing out of her mouth when she woke up in the hospital was “You have beautiful lips.” The poor young doctor this was directed at blanched. We reassured him she was unlikely to molest him.

[Miranda]

I love old ladies when they are in books. Especially when they are quite funny. Nothing cracks me up more to read what will come out of their mouths next. And is it me or do they seem to always get their way? haha Not all are nice and approachable, but for the majority of novels I read, they are. And so outspoken!

I had two of the sweetest grandmothers that ever lived. One was funny and quiet and the other was wise and outspoken. Whenever I read a book and one of the older ladies seems to have their personality, I immediately smile.

Thank you, Anne for posting this. Not many people think about the older ladies in a book. I think they are delightful (both real and fiction) and may they forever keep us on track.

[cate]

- Joyce Grenfell - That lady was a comedic genius.

[Mary Jo Putney]

I can't say that I've written many eccentric old ladies in my books--though oddly, my 2013 book, Sometimes a Rogue, has one--but they can definitely liven up the proceedings. Lady Catherine de Burgh should be taken taken out and shot, but you've done some wonderful old gals. I think they appeal to the "when I am an old woman, I shall wear purple" spirit in all of us.

[LouisaCornell]

I love the spirit of those old eccentric ladies in romance novels. Especially those in historical romances. Once a lady reaches a certain age I love how she can say and do pretty much whatever she wants and the world simply has to deal with it! LOL My maternal grandmother was this Native American steel magnolia sort of woman, mystical and elegant. My paternal grandmother, however, was the daughter of Welsh coal miners and she pretty much said and did exactly as she pleased and dared anyone to say a word about it! She cooked in her oldest daughter's bar for years and also served at the bouncer. If she told a man to "Give me your keys and walk home to your wife or I'll clout you with this." (a billy club!) rest assured they did exactly that. She played the organ in the middle of the night, smoked like a chimney and said whatever came in to her head. I miss her tremendously!

[Jo Beverley]

Great post, Anne. Now you have me wondering why there aren't as many wonderful old men characters in historical romance.

I think I'll have to include a particularly characterful grandfather in one soon!

Jo

[juana angela abregu]

Lady Catherine de Bourgh, Darcy's aunt! And even if I love Judi Dench, my choice goes to the first one ((Edna May Oliver)

[Wendy]

I love the independently minded old lady and have often read a series just to see what a minor characther will say next. The always seem to pring a breath of fresh air to the story and make all the characters come alive. I adore Dame Maggie Smith and Dame Margaret Rutherford. Will alwasy watch something they are in because I know I will enjoy it. Of course your picture is of Dolley Madison who was quite sure of her self

[Danise]

Love them... I have my great cane picked out (my dad brought it back from Scotland) and intend to be the eccentric matron in my family. It gives me something to look forward to in my older age. I don't want to not be central to the family, move to Florida (yuk!), and see everyone once a year.

I think men are more often allowed to be eccentric at any age. Women have to develop power first (historically). I loved the google promo for the first computer programmer...a woman mathematician. But, for the time, that was rare.

[Ella Quinn]

I love feisty old ladies, and I love putting them in my books. I have one with a cane that's not above using it as a weapon.

It wasn't my grandmothers so much as my great-grandmothers who were very independant minded. They are my inspiration.

[Artemisia]

I live in a village of eccentric old ladies and not a few eccentric old men. It's a last blossoming before winter falls. I'm working on becoming one myself.