Misers

[poliphilo]

Whatever happened to the misers?

Back in the 18th and 19th centuries people loved their misers. There was a whole literature about them. They were mean, they stank, they hid guineas in dung-heaps, they made pies out of long dead sheep. Mr Boffin in Our Mutual Friend is an avid collector and consumer of miser-porn. Daniel Dancer, John Elwes, Vulture Hopkins- these guys were famous.

There were famous fictional misers too- Scrooge, Silas Marner, Uncle Ebenezer Balfour.

But then along came the 20th century and misers- both real and fictional- dropped out of sight.

So why don't we have them any more?

Comments

[halfmoon-mollie.livejournal.com]

Too close to real life, I would imagine. But I WORK with a couple of them, at least. One person I can think of who bought candy from one of the professor's kids and then had me fill out an employee expense voucher - "Candy for Class" - so the University would pay for it. Too bad you can't come visit when I'm filling out travel vouchers - you'd know we still have them, and they are worse than ever!

[jackiejj.livejournal.com]

I agree that you work for a real miser and Scrooge!

Did you bring in a green tree to have a sort-of decoration?

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Yes but a real old-time miser would go home to a plain supper of dry bread and dripping in a house with the roof falling in and the doors coming off the hinges and a bag of bright golden guineas under every floor board. They don't make 'em like that any more.