That Hideous Strength - Ch 1 - Sale of College Property

Jane married Mark Studdock six months ago.  Before they married, they had endless talks.  Now she feels like she is in solitary confinement.  He claims either sleepiness or tends to intellectual preoccupation, since Mark works as a fellow at Bracton College (which has no students - a sort of think tank). She wonders what happened to the mutual society, help, and comfort the minister at their marriage spoke about.  They have no children so Jane can remain independent and pursue her work, though she left the job she enjoyed.

After marriage, Jane wants to work on her doctoral thesis about Donne (John Donne, the 17th Century poet and cleric who focused on metaphysics and love), or at least intends to, but seems to make no progress.  She is stuck on a verse from his poem Love's Alchemie (also called Love's Alchemy):
Hope not for mind in women; at their best
Sweetnese and wit, they are but Mummy possesed

While puzzled by the meaning of this line, and just how she should try to understand it for her doctrinal thesis, she glances at a picture she sees in the paper, which immediately reminds her of a recent dream she had, which seemed more like a nightmare which terrorized her. The newspaper reported about the execution of Alcasan, an Arabian radiologist who poisoned his wife who was executed by beheading for his crime.  In her dream, Jane saw a man with this face beheaded by twisting his head off.  Then Jane saw a different head of an ancient British, druidical man being dug up in a churchyard.  Jane thought he was dead, but she then saw him come to life and begin talking in something that sounded vaguely like Spanish to her.  Then Jane woke up she was so frightened.

Meanwhile, Mark, now a fellow for 5 years at Bracton College at Edgestow, talks with sub-Warden Curry.

Mark Studdock

Mark delights to find that he is now part of the inner circle, the Progressive Element - something he's desired for quite some time.  However, Mark also discovers that his appointment as a fellow at the college had to do with the considerable influence of Lord Feverstone, someone who spends most of his time in London.  Apparently, Mark learns, without Feverstone's influence, many favored another scholar named Denniston.  Until now, Mark imagined he was selected on his own merits, and it disturbs him to discover otherwise. (Feverstone's name is Dick Divine, a name from the first book in the trilogy where he appears as a villainy character.)

Sub-Warden Curry wanted to talk with Mark about the upcoming meeting of the fellows that day, and specifically about a motion for the College to sell Bragdon Wood, a secluded, walled in, peaceful area of well-tended grass (by sheep) and trees, with an ancient well in the middle, smack in the middle of the College.  The old well by reported legend is the burial site for Merlin (and so called Merlin's well).  An organization named the National Institute of Co-ordinated Experiments (N.I.C.E.) made a generous offer to purchase Bradgon Wood to construct a new building to house their operations.  The NICE presents a new organization which fuses the state and laboratory where thoughtful people could make a better world free from the constraints of red tape and with an unlimited, state supported budget.

At the meeting, the Busar announced that the College's budget looked so woeful, the meager stipend for the Junior Fellows might have to be cut from the amounts already paid.  Thus when the question of the sale of Bradgon Wood to the NICE for a generous amount arose, only the old guard wanted to hang on to this part of the college that had belonged to it since its founding back in 1300.  The rest clearly saw the advantage of the sale and the motion easily carried.  During the meeting, we begin to see the doublespeak which tends to dominate some circles which we will examine in the upcoming chapters.

Jane can't focus on her work, being troubled by her dream.  She goes out for a walk and to do some shopping.  She runs into Mrs. Dimble, who invites her home to lunch with Cecil Dimble, her husband.  Dr. Dimble was Jane's tutor at Northumberland where he serves as a fellow.  Mrs. Dimble acted as an unofficial aunt to all of his pupils.  They live in a cottage by a river next to the wall of Bragdon Wood.  While alone with Mrs. Dimble, Jane begins to cry and confesses that she is not going to have a baby, that she's depressed about being alone, and about her nightmare.

Dr. Dimble knows Bracton will likely sell Bradgon Woods to the NICE, as well as their home.  He also

knows about the legend of Merlin's burial under the well.  He begins talking about Arthur, distinguishing between the 5th Century Arthur from the later 12th Century additions from the French which added the tales about the affair between Guinevere and Lancelot.  He also talks about Merlin - not evil, yet a magician; a druid who knows about the Grail; something now lost, in between.  He adds that the stories say Merlin is buried, but not dead.

When Dimble notices Jane does not look well, he takes her into the drawing room where she tells him about her dream.  The Dimbles suggests someone for Jane to see about her dream.

Overview of book

Ch. 2 - Dinner with the Sub-Warden

List of Characters