The Deemster
1887
The Deemster, published in 1887 by Hall Caine, is recognized as the first 'Manx novel' and marks Caine's first major success. Set in the Isle of Man, it follows Thorkell Mylrea's rise to power amidst family conflict and moral dilemmas. The narrative explores themes of ambition, betrayal, and the consequences of one's choices, particularly through the contrasting lives of Thorkell and his brother Gilcrist. The story begins with the death of their father, Old Ewan Mylrea, which sets off a chain of events leading to Thorkell's struggle for control of the family estate, Ballamona.
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“Yet what was life worth now that he should struggle like this to preserve it?””
— Sir Hall Caine
“But it is possible to kill without drawing blood. We may be murderers and never suspect to the awfulness of our crime. To wither with suspicion, to blast with scorn, to dog with cruel hints, to torture with hard looks- this is to kill without blood. Did you ever think of it? There are worse hangmen than ever stood on the gallows.””
— Sir Hall Caine
“But of what avail was the innocence of the accused in days when an indictment was equal to a conviction!””
— Sir Hall Caine
“Ah! how true it was that conscience was a thousand swords.””
— Sir Hall Caine
“Hidden there”
— Sir Hall Caine
“leave such mistakes for time to set right. And when the truth comes in such a case it comes to some purpose.””
— Sir Hall Caine
“It's ill-luck to serve a bad man,””
— Sir Hall Caine
“when one dies, those who survive ask what he has left behind; the angel who bends above him asks what he has sent before.””
— Sir Hall Caine
“Some offered such rude comfort as their sympathetic hearts but not too fecund intellects could devise,””
— Sir Hall Caine
