Little Lord Fauntleroy

Little Lord Fauntleroy

Little Lord Fauntleroy opens on Cedric Errol, a small, sunny-natured boy growing up in modest circumstances in New York with his widowed mother, whom he calls "Dearest," after the death of his father, Captain Cedric Errol. Cedric knows little of his father's English family: that his grandfather is the wealthy, ill-tempered Earl of Dorincourt, who disinherited Captain Errol for marrying an American, and that his father's two elder brothers, Bevis and Maurice, died, leaving Captain Errol's line as heir. Cedric spends his days befriending neighbors, especially the gruff but kind grocer Mr. Hobbs and the bootblack Dick, absorbing republican sentiments about kings and earls from Hobbs. The Earl, having lost all his sons, sends his lawyer Mr. Havisham to New York to claim his only remaining grandson as Lord Fauntleroy. Cedric learns he must go to England to live with his grandfather, while his mother, whom the Earl detains bitterly against, is to live nearby at Court Lodge but be kept separate from the Castle. Mrs. Errol conceals the Earl's hostility toward her so Cedric will not think ill of his grandfather. Before leaving, Cedric distributes some of the Earl's money to his poor friends—Bridget, the apple-woman, and Dick—and says emotional goodbyes, including to Dick, who gives him a red silk handkerchief as a keepsake. At Dorincourt Castle, the fierce, lonely old Earl is unexpectedly charmed by Cedric's fearless, affectionate, and unspoiled nature. Cedric, unaware of his grandfather's cruelty or unpopularity, treats him with open admiration and trust, believing him the kindest of men. The Earl finds himself softening, indulging Cedric with toys, a pony, and other gifts, and is moved to perform small acts of genuine generosity—forgiving a struggling tenant, Higgins, his rent, and eventually agreeing to demolish the squalid cottages of Earl's Court and rebuild them—all prompted by Cedric's guileless assumption that his grandfather is naturally benevolent. Cedric also charms the servants, tenants, and village folk, who begin to speak of him with wonder, and he strikes up an affectionate correspondence with Mr. Hobbs, boasting of the Earl's "goodness." Cedric's mother continues her quiet charitable work in the village, and though the Earl refuses to meet her, he sends her a carriage as a "gift from Cedric" and grows less openly hostile toward her, moved by her tact and Cedric's unwavering devotion to her. Cedric puzzles over why his mother and grandfather never meet but honors her request not to ask questions. The Earl's sister, Lady Lorridaile, visits and is charmed by Cedric, noting how he has changed her brother for the better. At a grand dinner party held partly so the Earl can display his heir, Cedric charms the assembled guests, including the beautiful Miss Vivian Herbert, with his innocence and devotion to Dick's keepsake handkerchief. Late in the evening, the lawyer Mr. Havisham arrives visibly shaken, bearing devastating news: a woman has come forward claiming she secretly married the Earl's son Bevis years earlier and that her five-year-old son is the true Lord Fauntleroy and heir to Dorincourt, not Cedric. The Earl, horrified but recognizing the claim as plausible given Bevis's disreputable character, is left shattered, having grown to love Cedric deeply and now facing the loss of the boy he had come to regard as his own.

By Frances Hodgson Burnett · First published 1886 · Genre: Children's Literature, Coming-of-Age, Family Saga · 15 chapters · 70,606 words

First lines

Cedric himself knew nothing whatever about it. It had never been even mentioned to him. He knew that his papa had been an Englishman, because his mamma had told him so; but then his papa had died when he was so little a boy that he could not remember very much about him, except that he was big, and had blue eyes and a long mustache, and that it was a splendid thing to be carried around the room on his shoulder. Since his papa's death, Cedric had found out that it was best not to talk to his mamma about him. When his father was ill, Cedric had been sent away, and when he had returned, everything was over; and his mother, who had been very ill, too, was only just beginning to sit in her chair by the window. She was pale and thin, and all the dimples had gone from her pretty face, and her eyes looked large and mournful, and she was dressed in black.

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Children's Literature · Classic Novel · Coming-of-Age · Family Drama · Social Class · Wealth and Poverty · Identity Crisis · Self-Discovery · Friendship · Love · Kindness · Generosity

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Little Lord Fauntleroy is listed on Textopian as a novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, dated 1886 CE.

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