Hester Lilly

Hester Lilly, published in 1954, is Elizabeth Taylor’s first collection of shorter fiction, ranging from the novella-length title story to three-page sketches such as ‘First Death of Her Life’. ‘Hester Lilly’ is more typical of a Taylor novel, though its characters are perhaps less likeable than usual, particularly Muriel who becomes jealous of her husband, Robert’s, relationship with his young, orphaned cousin, Hester, who comes to stay with them. When Hester appears, however, “in clothes which astonished in their improvisation”, Muriel initially feels relief as she seems less of a threat than she had imagined, but her peace of mind does not last. Taylor cleverly highlights the age difference when Hugh, a biology teacher who is lodging with them (Robert is a headmaster) asks, “Do girls not learn biology then?” and Muriel replies “No” and Hester “Yes”. The idea that Hester is in love with Robert originates with Muriel: “Of course, you are in love with Robert,” she tells her:

“The girl’s heart swerved in horrified recognition.”

Rather than the awkward moments which often feature in Taylor’s novels, we have a prolonged awkwardness, with Muriel confessing to her friend Beatrice:

“I have to be clever, not insistent. I can’t be put into the position of getting my own way, for it would never be forgotten.”

Cleverly, Taylor does not allow us much insight into Robert’s thoughts – clearly deliberate as she is adept at switching between the viewpoints of her characters – leaving the focus on Muriel and Hester’s feelings rather than Robert’s intentions. She also introduces an unlikely secondary character in Miss Despenser whom Hester first meets (tipsily) tending a family grave – an even more unlikely friendship develops between the two of them.

The story ‘Gravement Endommage’ also focuses on a married couple, in this case driving towards Paris – the wife, Louise, is desperate to get there while the husband, Richard, would rather stop on the way:

“You planned this delay without consulting me. You planned to spend this night in some god-forsaken place and sink into your private nostalgia while my frocks crease and crease…”

The town – “a waste of fallen masonry” (post-war) – is not as he remembered, though the title (‘severely damaged’) might also apply to their marriage.

The short story form also allows Taylor to write in a way she might not in a novel. For example, in ‘The Idea of Age’, the viewpoint is that of a child. In the story the child sees for the first time the vulnerability of an adult:

“It was a revolutionary thought, suggesting that children have some protection to offer grown-ups.”

Like so much of Taylor’s work, it is beautifully observed. ‘Spry Old Character’ feels even more of an outlier. It is also, in a sense, about age, but more so about disability, as the character in question, Harry, has retired to the Home for the Blind. He has not always been blind and resents the confinement of the home, longing for freedom, creating his own version of it by travelling on the bus every day, befriending the drivers and conductors:

“Sitting in the bus before it drew out, he could enjoy the only normal conversation of his day.”

The story culminates in Harry being taken to the fair one night. Taylor puts Harry’s blindness at the centre of the story without ever seeming patronising or allowing it to be the main part of his character. ‘Plenty Good Fiesta’ also features a fair, disappointing to his English hosts but not to the Spanish orphan they are looking after, a result of the civil war which, like the story set in post-war France, shows Taylor’s awareness of her time without being in any sense a ‘political’ writer. Having said that, there is a definite satirical edge to ‘Swan Moving’ where a swan appears in a village pond and the villagers begin to improve the environment in response:

“Eyes so long indifferent became critical and much was suddenly seen to be wrong.”

In fact, there is a pleasing variety to the collection, revealing aspects of Taylor’s writing previously hidden as well as showcasing her strengths. Though she is primarily a novelist, her shorter fiction is not to be ignored. 

Tags: Elizabeth Taylor, hester lilly