Mr. Beluncle (Masterplots II: British and Commonwealth Fiction Series)
At a glance:
- Author: V. S. Pritchett
- First Published: 1951
- Type of Work: Satiric comedy
- Time of Work: c. 1935
- Setting: London
- Principal Characters: Mr. Philip Beluncle, Ethel Beluncle, Henry Beluncle, George Beluncle, Leslie Beluncle, Mary Phibbs, Linda Truslove, Judy Dykes, David Vogg
- Genres: Long fiction, Satire
- Subjects: Children, Family or family life, Middle classes, Religion, Manners or customs, 1930’s, England or English people, London, Ethics, Business or business people, Money, Miracles, Property, Investments or investors, Houses, mansions, or manors
- Locales: London, England
The Novel
Mr. Beluncle is essentially a collection of English middle-class characters, comic and tragicomic, in juxtaposition and collision. They undergo no development and engage in little action. What plot there is has three foci: the Beluncle family, the Beluncle-Truslove business, a small furniture manufacturing firm, and the Church of the Last Purification, to which Mr. Beluncle, Henry, Mary, and Judy belong.
The family is introduced on a Sunday, the only time the father is at home for the day. In addition to Henry, there are two younger boys, George and...
[The entire page is 2055 words long]
