He saw London and capitalist society reaching into Sussex and he condemned what he saw as towns "of the London sort" such as Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill, where "the more one worked, the less one had, and if one did not work at all, one died" Belloc's characters go out of their way to avoid these towns. īelloc compared "this Eden which is Sussex still" with the "slavery being undergone by people in the industrial districts". Belloc condemned ignorant urban newcomers who pronounced the market town near his home "Hor-sham" instead of what had been known for centuries as "Hors-ham". The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw a sudden loss of Sussex's distinctive speech patterns, folklore and customs, in large part due to the arrival of urban newcomers with little knowledge or sympathy for these traditions. Predicting that Sussex was destined to lose its historic character, Belloc set down what he saw before it was forgotten and became a different thing "its people never more being what they were". Belloc addresses the start of the book to Sussex directly, as if it were a person, "who must like all created things decay". Writing in 2010, cultural historian Peter Brandon calls The Four Men "the most passionate and original book on Sussex ever written." Themes īelloc wrote The Four Men at a time of great social change in Sussex, when ways of life that had held constant for centuries were being replaced and the individuality of 'Old Sussex' was being replaced with a country-wide uniformity. Chesterton also wrote that "there are few speeches in modern books better than the conversations in The Four Men." Tim Rich argued that Belloc is overly negative about the future of Sussex, saying that Belloc projects his own pessimism onto the land, rather than celebrate its potential. Chesterton have described the work as "grave and deep, informed with emotion". Holliday in the New York Times in 1913 is positive calling the book "an enchanting volume. West of Sutton to Harting via Treyford Reception Ī review written by Robert C. Robertsbridge to Ardingly via Brightling, Heathfield, Uckfield and Fletching.Īrdingly to Ashurst via St Leonard's Forest, Lower Beeding Cowfold and Henfield Day 4–1 November 1902 Īshurst to somewhere west of Sutton via Steyning, Washington, Storrington, Amberley, Houghton, Bignor and Sutton. The journey Įach day in The Four Men is included in a separate chapter. In 1909 Belloc told Maurice Baring that the three characters other than 'Myself' are really supernatural beings, a poet, a sailor and Grizzlebeard himself: they only turn out to be supernatural beings when they get to the village of Liss, which is just over the Hampshire border. Joseph Pearce argues that Belloc "knew every inch of the way" and "had evidently walked most of the route at various times, even if he had never walked the whole route at one time." īelloc envisaged calling the book "The County of Sussex". Belloc was also a lover of Sussex songs and wrote lyrics. The book contains various poetry and songs, including the West Sussex Drinking Song. In the Western Christian calendar the period culminates in Hallowe'en or All Hallow's Eve (31 October), All Saints Day or All Hallow's Day (1 November) and All Souls Day (2 November). The story takes place over five continuous days from 29 October 1902, to 2 November. From Robertsbridge the characters walk via various public houses, through Heathfield, Uckfield, Ardingly, Ashurst and Amberley to South Harting. The George Inn, Robertsbridge in December 2008, where the four men began their walk across Sussexīeginning on 29 October 1902, the characters set out from The George Inn at Robertsbridge, where Belloc was a regular customer.
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