#mortimer omf

[1864-66readingproject]

Queer reading chapter 3 of Our Mutual Friend:

Mortimer has to go to the Hexam household as part of the Harmon case, and Eugene tags along with him. For some reason.

It's mentioned that Eugene and Mortimer were "two friends (once boys together at a public school)". The mention of public school is partly a class indicator ('public schools' in Britain are a certain type of fee-paying school, strongly associated with the British 'ruling class'), but could also potentially be a hint at sexuality - most public schools encouraged the development of homosocial bonds between the boys (partly to stop them seeking out girls), and some of the schools (especially Eton) would tend to overlook if those homosocial bonds became sexual. The idea was that when boys left school, they would leave any homosexual leanings behind them, but of course this was not always the case.

We learn about Eugene and Mortimer's professions: Mortimer is a solicitor and Eugene is a barrister; they both entered those professions at the instigation of their families, not through any desire of their own; they are both lazy, and do not commit to their professions; the Harmon case is Mortimer's first paying case; Eugene has had no previous work at all.

It does seem to me that Eugene and Mortimer are characters who are very much in dialogue with other characters from the mid-nineteenth century: Arthur Pendennis and George Warrington from Thackeray's Pendennis (who went to separate public schools, went to the same university, and lived together as young adults, and whose relationship can be read as queer); Clive Newcome from Thackeray's The Newcomes (who went to the same public school as Arthur Pendennis and had a "rapturous" "romantic" friendship with him); David Copperfield from Dickens's David Copperfield (who did not go to public school, but who formed a fairly queer relationship with another boy, James Steerforth, at a private school); Sydney Carton and Mr Stryver from Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities (who both attended Shrewsbury public school, who both studied in Paris together, who essentially jobshare and who have an (unhealthy) relationship that can be read as queer); and Robert Audley and George Talboys from Braddon's Lady Audley's Secret (who both attended Eton public school, who travel and live together for a while in adulthood, and who have a relationship that can be read as queer). With the exception of Clive Newcome (artist) and George Talboys (soldier and gold-digger in the literal digging-for-gold sense of the word), all of these characters are - nominally at least - lawyers, just like Eugene and Mortimer. Most of them - especially Robert Audley, the most 'recent' to Eugene and Mortimer - are presented as in some way 'lazy' or otherwise not committed to the practice of the law. Robert, Eugene and Mortimer seem to me to be the pinacle of this 'ambiguously queer lazy lawyer' character type which has been developing over the previous decade or so.

In the cab, Eugene puts his legs up on the opposite bench, and Mortimer asks if he can put his legs up too, then does. I sort of assume they have to cross their legs over each other for both their legs to fit on the bench? unclear; but regardless, they are sat side-by-side and seem comfortable being in physical proximity with each other.

Eugene lights Mortimer's cigar, and they both smoke. The lighting of someone else's cigar / cigarette is often framed in popular culture as erotic - there's a post floating around tumblr somewhere about the intimacy and eroticism of lighting someone's cigar for them.

In the scene with Eugene and Mortimer talking in the cab, we see a different dynamic between the two of them than we saw at the Veneering dinner table in chapter 2. If anything, Eugene now leads ("I shouldn’t know how to do it", "I hate my profession", "It was forced upon me [...] We have got a precious one", "There are four of us"), and Mortimer responds ("I am far from being clear [...] that I have much advantage over you", "I hate mine", "It was forced upon me [...] And we have got a precious one", "I am one by myself, one"). Eugene also appears to lead physically: putting his legs up and presumably lighting his cigar first, and Mortimer asks to follow.

On a more general note, pay attention to this exchange - this is going to be important for Eugene in particular:

‘Precisely my view of the case, Eugene. But show me a good opportunity, show me something really worth being energetic about, and I’ll show you energy.’ ‘And so will I,’ said Eugene.

Dickens's narratorial style in Our Mutual Friend is interesting, in that it shifts about quite a bit. For example, while much of it is in past tense (such as chapter 3), some chapters are in present tense (such as chapter 2). The point of view can also switch, including within a chapter.

For most of chapter 3, the point of view seems to stay fairly close to how Mortimer is experiencing the events that unfold. However, towards the end of the chapter, the narrator stops 'following' Mortimer, and instead follows Charley Hexam home, before switching perspective to a narratorial voice seems a bit more distant from the characters.

Compare the following:

‘Only papers on the unfortunate man, I see,’ said Lightwood, glancing from the description of what was found, to the finder. ‘Only papers.’ Here the girl arose with her work in her hand, and went out at the door. ‘No money,’ pursued Mortimer; ‘but threepence in one of the skirt-pockets.’ ‘Three. Penny. Pieces,’ said Gaffer Hexam, in as many sentences.

and:

The boy lifted the latch he had lifted before, and found his sister again seated before the fire at her work. Who raised her head upon his coming in and asking: ‘Where did you go, Liz?’ ‘I went out in the dark.’ ‘There was no necessity for that. It was all right enough.’ ‘One of the gentlemen, the one who didn’t speak while I was there, looked hard at me. And I was afraid he might know what my face meant. [...]’

When Mortimer's perspective is guiding the narrative voice, Lizzie is nameless - "the girl" - and apparently motiveless: she goes out of the door without any explanation. The reader can infer that this is the same girl who was rowing the boat in chapter 1, and she is probably leaving the room because she is ashamed about her father stealing from a dead body, as she was in chapter 1, but that's not expressed by the narrator because Mortimer doesn't know that (we can tell from the dialogue he's got his suspicions of Gaffer, but these suspicions do not appear to extend to Lizzie).

However, once Mortimer is no longer there and the narratorial voice has 'left' him for the time being, we get to see a conversation between Charley and Lizzie where Lizzie explains her motive for leaving the room: Eugene was looking at her. She says she was afraid that Eugene might see in her face her guilt over her father's stealing, so she left the room.

What's notable about this to me from a queer lens is that Eugene looking at Lizzie was entirely absent from the part of the chapter told from Mortimer's perspective.

On a more general note, I think it's possibly worth noting that Eugene's interest in Lizzie predates him ever seeing her. Near the beginning of the chapter, Charley is talking about his education and how "it's my sister's contriving". He then speaks "slightingly" of her, and Eugene appears to take exception to this. Eugene is also presumably the one who says, "You seem to have a good sister."

[fuckthcpolice-archived]

me url u goob

Send me your URL and I’ll tell you

My Opinion on;

Character in general: Evil Morty is probably my favorite character in the entire Rick and Morty show. And that’s pretty impressive considering Mr. Meeseeks is a thing. ;D But yeah!! I fucking love happy characters turned dark. And Mortimer is a REALLY neato bad boy!!

How they play them: Benny is SUCH a good Evil Morty. And considering I’ve followed Mortimer all the way back to when I owned only my Zim blog, that should tell you right there how good of a boy this is !! It’s actually kind of neat to sit here and think about how much Benny has made Mortimer grow as a person. Because I remember interacting for the first time on Zim, and Zim was fucking TERRIFIED of Mortimer. He was this aloof character who just reeked with bad, spoopy vibes. He barely ever spoke a word to anyone other than Merty too, and to see him kind of crawl out of this anti-social shell to what he is now, (even if he IS stealing kiddos as a hobbie omf) I just think thats?? Really cool??

The Mun: BENNY ME BOI BOB. I love Benny!! Like I said, I’ve known Benny for a WHILE, and they’ve always come off as a super chill person to talk to?? Plus he shares my love for killing others with awful, angsty plots, and tBH WHO NEEDS ANYTHING MORE THAN THAT??? >:3c We’re awful people, but awful people stICK TOGETHER DAMMIT.

Do I:

RP with them: Ye!Want to RP with them:  OF COURSE??

What is my;

Overall Opinion: BENNY IS GREAT, MORTIMER IS GREAT?? THEIR ENTIRE BLOG IS WONDERFUL?? I LOVE ME BENNY BOI AND WOULD RATE HIM A 11/10 ALL THE WAY. IF YOU HAVEN’T GIVEN HIM A FOLLOW YET I URGE YOU TO DO SO BINCH CAUSE LIKE I SAID, I’M LOVE THEM BOTH

[1864-66readingproject]

Okay, queer reading Our Mutual Friend chapter 2. The characters most of interest to me here are Eugene and Mortimer (n.b. I'm not necessarily saying that any of these things are telling in their own right, but cumulatively they are potentially interesting) (also I ramble on unrelated points for a bit):

Eugene is introduced as "Eugene, friend of Mortimer", i.e. in his relation to Mortimer (n.b. Mortimer is, in his introductory sentence, mentioned in his relation to Lady Tippins "(a friend of his boyhood)". On my first read I assumed that Mortimer was roughly the same age as Lady Tippins, but in becomes clear at some point that he is younger; presumably she was an adult friend when he was a boy. Anyway I think this 'so-and-so is a friend of so-and-so who is a friend of so-and-so sort of shows the networking nature of the Veneering dinners, as well as sheds light on the relationships of the characters)

Eugene only speaks in response to Mortimer

We see for the first time Eugene's tendancy to speak in rhyme when he (presumably deliberately, to annoy Lady Tippins) twists the "there was an old man from Tabago" limerick (which according to google was by Edward Lear) (I don't necessarily think Eugene's tendancy towards rhyme makes him particularly queer, I just think it's a neat part of his personality and wanted to mention it)

Both Mortimer and Eugene have (but suppress) some sort of emotion (sympathy? affinity for suffering?) to the idea of someone dying for love:

"However, he married the young lady, and they lived in a humble dwelling, probably possessing a porch ornamented with honeysuckle and woodbine twining, until she died. I must refer you to the Registrar of the District in which the humble dwelling was situated, for the certified cause of death; but early sorrow and anxiety may have had to do with it, though they may not appear in the ruled pages and printed forms. Indisputably this was the case with Another, for he was so cut up by the loss of his young wife that if he outlived her a year it was as much as he did."

There is that in the indolent Mortimer, which seems to hint that if good society might on any account allow itself to be impressible, he, one of good society, might have the weakness to be impressed by what he here relates. It is hidden with great pains, but it is in him. The gloomy Eugene too, is not without some kindred touch;

Mortimer is "unable to report" on the "personal charms" of the intended bride of young Harmon:

Mrs Podsnap inquires whether the young person is a young person of personal charms? Mortimer is unable to report.

Is this because he doesn't know the young woman in question? (If he doesn't, who has spoken to her about her role in the will? EDIT: In chapter 4 it's revealed that he wrote to her.) Or does he have another reason for being "unable to report" on her personal charms? Keep an eye out for the relationship between Mortimer and this young woman...

This isn't really related to queer reading, but I suppose on a reading-for-sexuality note: Lady Tippins' "grisly little fiction concerning her lovers" is arguably sexual harassment towards Eugene, Mortimer, and any other young men involved

Also on a reading-for-sexuality note: Lady Tippins describes Eugene as "a rough Cymon at present"; see this link for an explanation of Cymon (this reference to Cymon, if anything, suggests an anti-queer reading of Eugene here)

So there's not much to sink your teeth into in terms of queer reading in this chapter, just the beginnings of hints at things: some sort of slightly unusual friendship between two young men, the responsiveness of one of those young men to the other, and the other's possible lack of interest in women.

[1864-66readingproject]

Chapter 2 of OMF:

Twemlow! 🤗🤗

Mortimer! 🤗🤗🤗🤗🤗

Eugene! 🤗