People in society generally tend to strive to be the best. Whether it be through wealth or intelligence, we seek to capitalize on what’s been given and make the best out of it. However, this state of wealth and intelligence can often have a significant impact on one’s character and attitude. For instance, in Maria Edgeworth’s 1801 novel Belinda, Clarence Hervey, one of the wealthy and intelligent suitors of the novel’s protagonist, Belinda Portman, is described by the narrator as a narcissistic, mercurial character who is also too worried about the flaws and shadows of others. Through the use of a unique point of view, as well as vivid diction and a critical tone, Edgeworth is able to portray the complexity of Clarence as a unstable man worthy of respect as well as hatred. The novel employs a unique third person narrative which is truly able to shed light upon the blatant characteristics of Clarence, but also generates a fog of ambiguity.
Within this passage of the novel, the narrator focuses on Clarence for its entirety. While the narrator does describe how Clarence may be respected for his wealth and intelligence, and even honors him, the attitude within the point of view is flipped with a resentful tone. For instance, the narrator is able to describe all of Clarence’s achievements, but begins the passage with a sarcastic attack on Clarence with “[He] might have been more than a pleasant young man, if he had not been smitten with the desire of being thought superior in everything.” We are able to see that in Clarence, he brings himself out enough to be respectable, but cannot garner the joy of others.
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