English Edition
Literature
Clayhanger
English BooksWhale Edition by Arnold Bennett
Edwin Clayhanger seeks independence, love, and a vocation amid family obligations and the industrial life of the Staffordshire Potteries.
- Preview
- A sample from the prepared text
- Formats
- Online reader, EPUB, PDF
- Access
- Library claim
Book introduction
Clayhanger
Edwin Clayhanger grows up in the Staffordshire Potteries under a demanding father who expects him to enter the family printing business. Artistic ambitions, religious habits, local society, and his attachment to Hilda Lessways complicate his search for independence. Arnold Bennett follows Edwin through four books, bringing domestic detail and the changing industrial town into a closely observed account of adulthood.
BooksWhale edition
How this edition was prepared
This edition is based on a public domain text and has been prepared for digital reading by BooksWhale.
Public domain basis
Why this edition can be shared
Arnold Bennett died in 1931. This edition uses the public-domain English original published in 1910, with later editorial notes and publisher material excluded.
Read preview
A sample from the prepared text
Preview selected from the prepared reader text.
Preview chapterFull textRead preview
Clayhanger
Preview chapterBook One — His Vocation.Preview
Book One — His Vocation.
Preview chapterChapter One — The Last of a Schoolboy.Preview
Edwin Clayhanger stood on the steep-sloping, red-bricked canal bridge, in the valley between Bursley and its suburb Hillport. In that neighbourhood the Knype and Mersey canal formed the western boundary of the industrialism of the Five Towns. To the east rose pitheads, chimneys, and kilns, tier above tier, dim in their own mists. To the west, Hillport Fields, grimed but possessing authentic hedgerows and winding paths, mounted broadly up to the sharp ridge on which stood Hillport Church, a landmark. Beyond the ridge, and partly protected by it from the driving smoke of the Five Towns, lay the fine and ancient Tory borough of Oldcastle, from whose historic Middle School Edwin Clayhanger was now walking home. The fine and ancient Tory borough provided education for the whole of the Five Towns, but the relentless ignorance of its prejudices had blighted the district. A hundred years earlier the canal had only been obtained after a vicious Parliamentary fight between industry and the fine and ancient borough, which saw in canals a menace to its importance as a centre of traffic. Fifty years earlier the fine and ancient borough had succeeded in forcing the greatest railway line in England to run through unpopulated country five miles off instead of through the Five Towns, because it loathed the mere conception of a railway. And now, people are inquiring why the Five Towns, with a railway system special to itself, is characterised by a perhaps excessive provincialism. These interesting details have everything to do with the history of Edwin Clayhanger, as they have everything to do with the history of each of the two hundred thousand souls in the Five Towns. Oldcastle guessed not the vast influences of its sublime stupidity.
It was a breezy Friday in July 1872. The canal, which ran north and south, reflected a blue and white sky. Towards the bridge, from the north came a long narrow canal-boat roofed with tarpaulins; and towards the bridge, from the south came a similar craft, sluggishly creeping. The towing-path was a morass of sticky brown mud, for, in the way of rain, that year was breaking the records of a century and a half. Thirty yards in front of each boat an unhappy skeleton of a horse floundered its best in the quagmire. The honest endeavour of one of the animals received a frequent tonic from a bare-legged girl of seven who heartily curled a whip about its crooked large-jointed legs. The ragged and filthy child danced in the rich mud round the horse’s flanks with the simple joy of one who had been rewarded for good behaviour by the unrestricted use of a whip for the first time.
Table of contents
Inside this edition
- 01Full text
- 02Book One — His Vocation.
- 03Chapter One — The Last of a Schoolboy.
- 04Two.
- 05Three.
- 06Four.
- 07Chapter Two — The Flame.
- 08Two.
- 09Three.
- 10Four.
- 11Five.
- 12Chapter Three — Entry into the World.
- 13Two.
- 14Three.
- 15Four.
- 16Five.
- 17Six.
- 18Chapter Four — The Child-Man.
- 19Two.
- 20Three.
- 21Four.
- 22Five.
- 23Chapter Five — Mr Shushions’s Tear Explained.
- 24Two.
- 25Three.
- 26Chapter Six — In the House.
- 27Two.
- 28Three.
- 29Four.
- 30Five.
- 31Six.
- 32Chapter Seven — Auntie Hamps.
- 33Two.
- 34Three.
- 35Four.
- 36Five.
- 37Six.
- 38Seven.
- 39Eight.
- 40Chapter Eight — In the Shop.
- 41Two.
- 42Three.
- 43Four.
- 44Five.
- 45Chapter Nine — The Town.
- 46Two.
- 47Three.
- 48Four.
- 49Five.
- 50Chapter Ten — Free and Easy.
- 51Two.
- 52Three.
- 53Four.
- 54Five.
- 55Six.
- 56Seven.
- 57Eight.
- 58Chapter Eleven — Son and Father.
- 59Two.
- 60Three.
- 61Four.
- 62Chapter Twelve — Machinery.
- 63Two.
- 64Three.
- 65Four.
- 66Five.
- 67Six.
- 68Seven.
- 69Eight.
- 70Nine.
- 71Ten.
- 72Eleven.
- 73Chapter Thirteen — One Result of Courage.
- 74Two.
- 75Three.
- 76Four.
- 77Five.
- 78Chapter Fourteen — The Architect.
- 79Two.
- 80Three.
- 81Four.
- 82Five.
- 83Chapter Fifteen — A Decision.
- 84Two.
- 85Three.
- 86Four.
- 87Five.
- 88Six.
- 89Chapter Sixteen — The Letter.
- 90Two.
- 91Three.
- 92Four.
- 93Five.
- 94Six.
- 95Seven.
- 96Chapter Seventeen — End of a Struggle.
- 97Two.
- 98Three.
- 99Four.
- 100Five.
- 101Six.
- 102Seven.
- 103Eight.
- 104Nine.
- 105Book Two — His Love.
- 106Chapter One — The Visit.
- 107Two.
- 108Three.
- 109Four.
- 110Chapter Two — Father and Son after Seven Years.
- 111Two.
- 112Three.
- 113Four.
- 114Five.
- 115Chapter Three — The New House.
- 116Two.
- 117Three.
- 118Four.
- 119Five.
- 120Chapter Four — The Two Gardens.
- 121Two.
- 122Three.
- 123Chapter Five — Clothes.
- 124Two.
- 125Three.
- 126Chapter Six — Janet Loses her Bet.
- 127Two.
- 128Three.
- 129Four.
- 130Chapter Seven — Lane End House.
- 131Two.
- 132Three.
- 133Four.
- 134Five.
- 135Chapter Eight — The Family Supper.
- 136Two.
- 137Three.
- 138Chapter Nine — In The Porch.
- 139Two.
- 140Three.
- 141Four.
- 142Five.
- 143Six.
- 144Chapter Ten — The Centenary.
- 145Two.
- 146Three.
- 147Four.
- 148Chapter Eleven — The Bottom of the Square.
- 149Two.
- 150Three.
- 151Chapter Twelve — The Top of the Square.
- 152Two.
- 153Three.
- 154Chapter Thirteen — The Oldest Sunday-School Teacher.
- 155Two.
- 156Three.
- 157Four.
- 158Chapter Fourteen — Money.
- 159Two.
- 160Three.
- 161Four.
- 162Five.
- 163Six.
- 164Chapter Fifteen — The Insult.
- 165Two.
- 166Three.
- 167Chapter Sixteen — The Sequel.
- 168Two.
- 169Three.
- 170Four.
- 171Chapter Seventeen — Challenge and Response.
- 172Two.
- 173Three.
- 174Four.
- 175Five.
- 176Chapter Eighteen — Curiosity.
- 177Two.
- 178Three.
- 179Four.
- 180Chapter Nineteen — A Catastrophe.
- 181Two.
- 182Three.
- 183Chapter Twenty — The Man.
- 184Two.
- 185Three.
- 186Four.
- 187Five.
- 188Chapter Twenty One — The Marriage.
- 189Two.
- 190Three.
- 191Four.
- 192Five.
- 193Six.
- 194Book Three — His Freedom.
- 195Chapter One — After a Funeral.
- 196Two.
- 197Three.
- 198Four.
- 199Chapter Two — The Conclave.
- 200Two.
- 201Three.
- 202Four.
- 203Chapter Three — The Name.
- 204Two.
- 205Three.
- 206Chapter Four — The Victim of Sympathy.
- 207Two.
- 208Three.
- 209Chapter Five — The Slave’s Fear.
- 210Two.
- 211Three.
- 212Four.
- 213Chapter Six — Keys and Cheques.
- 214Two.
- 215Three.
- 216Chapter Seven — Laid Aside.
- 217Two.
- 218Three.
- 219Four.
- 220Five.
- 221Chapter Eight — A Change of Mind.
- 222Two.
- 223Three.
- 224Four.
- 225Chapter Nine — The Ox.
- 226Two.
- 227Chapter Ten — Mrs Hamps as a Young Man.
- 228Two.
- 229Chapter Eleven — An Hour.
- 230Two.
- 231Chapter Twelve — Revenge.
- 232Two.
- 233Three.
- 234Chapter Thirteen — The Journey Upstairs.
- 235Two.
- 236Three.
- 237Chapter Fourteen — The Watch.
- 238Two.
- 239Three.
- 240Chapter Fifteen — The Banquet.
- 241Two.
- 242Three.
- 243Four.
- 244Chapter Sixteen — After the Banquet.
- 245Two.
- 246Three.
- 247Four.
- 248Five.
- 249Six.
- 250Chapter Seventeen — The Chain Broken.
- 251Two.
- 252Three.
- 253Four.
- 254Five.
- 255Book Four — His Start in Life.
- 256Chapter One — The Birthday Visit.
- 257Two.
- 258Three.
- 259Four.
- 260Five.
- 261Six.
- 262Seven.
- 263Chapter Two — Janet’s Nephew.
- 264Two.
- 265Three.
- 266Four.
- 267Five.
- 268Chapter Three — Adventure.
- 269Two.
- 270Three.
- 271Four.
- 272Five.
- 273Six.
- 274Seven.
- 275Chapter Four — In Preston Street.
- 276Two.
- 277Three.
- 278Four.
- 279Five.
- 280Six.
- 281Chapter Five — The Bully.
- 282Two.
- 283Three.
- 284Four.
- 285Five.
- 286Six.
- 287Chapter Six — The Rendezvous.
- 288Two.
- 289Three.
- 290Four.
- 291Five.
- 292Chapter Seven — The Wall.
- 293Two.
- 294Three.
- 295Chapter Eight — The Friendship.
- 296Two.
- 297Three.
- 298Chapter Nine — The Arrivals.
- 299Two.
- 300Three.
- 301Four.
- 302Five.
- 303Six.
- 304Chapter Ten — George and the Vicar.
- 305Two.
- 306Three.
- 307Four.
- 308Five.
- 309Chapter Eleven — Beginning of the Night.
- 310Two.
- 311Three.
- 312Four.
- 313Five.
- 314Six.
- 315Chapter Twelve — End of the Night.
- 316Two.
- 317Three.
- 318Four.
- 319Five.
- 320Chapter Thirteen — Her Heart.
- 321Two.
- 322Three.
Language availability
Other languages
Additional language editions are not published yet. This section will link to other BooksWhale editions when they become available.
Request another language