Clayhanger

Set in the fictional Five Towns of Staffordshire, England, Clayhanger is the first installment of Arnold Bennett's Clayhanger Family trilogy (Clayhanger, Hilda Lessways, and These Twain). First published in 1910, this novel charts the journey of Edwin Clayhanger from a young man, burdened by the weight of familial duties, with architectural aspirations to the reluctant head of his father's printing and stationery business. Through the evolving stages of Edwin's life-his vocation, love, search for freedom, and establishment in life-Bennett crafts a compelling narrative of personal ambition, romantic entanglements, and the quest for individual autonomy against the backdrop of societal expectations. A century after its first publication, Clayhanger continues to be a pertinent exploration of the friction between one's own desires and the weight of familial expectations, resonating with modern readers as they navigate the intricate dynamics of self-identity and social roles.

Arnold Bennett was born on May 27, 1867, in Hanley, Staffordshire, which is now part of Stoke-on-Trent but was previously a separate municipality. He was the eldest of three boys and three daughters born to Enoch Bennett (1843-1902) and Sarah Ann, nee Longson (1840-1914). Enoch Bennett's early career was marked by ups and downs: following an unsuccessful attempt to start a pottery manufacturing and sales firm, he established himself as a draper and pawnbroker in 1866. Four years later, Enoch's father died, leaving him some money with which he apprenticed at a local legal business; in 1876, he became a solicitor. The Bennetts were strong Wesleyans who enjoyed music, culture, and socializing. Bennett attended the Wedgwood Institute in Burslem from 1877 to 1882, and then attended a grammar school in Newcastle-under-Lyme for one year. He was good at Latin and better at French; he had an inspirational headmaster who instilled in him a lifelong love of French literature and the French language. He excelled intellectually and passed Cambridge University exams, which may have led to an Oxbridge degree, but his father had other ideas. Bennett left school in 1883 at the age of 16 and began unpaid work at his father's business. He split his time between unpleasant occupations, such as rent collection, during the day and preparing for exams in the evening.