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Doctor Syn: A Tale of the Romney Marsh

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Doctor Syn: A Tale of the Romney Marsh
AuthorRussell Thorndike
LanguageEnglish
SeriesDoctor Syn
GenreHistorical novel
PublisherThomas Nelson & Sons
Publication date
July 1915
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (hardback & paperback)
Followed byDoctor Syn on the High Seas 
TextDoctor Syn: A Tale of the Romney Marsh at Wikisource

Doctor Syn: A Tale of the Romney Marsh is the first novel by Russell Thorndike. Published by Thomas Nelson & Sons in 1915, it tells the story of Doctor Christopher Syn, a parson turned smuggler with a dark past. It was a major success, spawning six further books in the series as well as stage plays and other adaptations. Although published first, within the chronology of the series, it takes place last.

Development

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Doctor Syn's origins began in Spartanburg, South Carolina. On May 12, 1906, at around 10 p.m., a boy named Ube V. Millican killed his stepfather P.L. Cannon in retaliation against Cannon's abuse of his sister and mother. Millican shot Cannon once in the back and the bullet lodged the brick wall behind him. The man fell dead in the doorway of the Palm Cafe, where the body lay overnight. Above the cafe, which was part of the Spartan Inn, lodged Russell Thorndike and his sister Sybil Thorndike, in town as part of the Ben Greet theatre company. That weekend, the company had performed As You Like It. Inspired by the gruesome death below their window, the siblings stayed up all night as Thorndike began to formulate the character of a parson turned smuggler.[1][2]

The Spartan Inn in 1905, where the idea for Doctor Syn was born. It burned down in 1910.

In her introduction to the published novel, Sybil Thorndike said she could not recall if the story began as a play or as a novel, though the theatrical version was the first to be presented to the public. In April 1910, five years before the novel's publication, Russell Thorndike performed the title role of his play Doctor Syn at the Maidstone Corn Exchange. "An ambitious, cleverly written and intensely dramatic work," according to the Kent Messenger, which also praised his acting, in the role of Syn/Clegg, as well as the sexton Mipps. The production was poorly attended. That year also saw the production of another play by Thorndike based on Kent history, The Guest at the Moat in August.[3][4][5][6]

Thorndike had finished the novel version of the story by the time he was mobilized with the First Westminster Dragoons in 1914. He was reported as serving in Cairo in May 1915, when the novel was published in the UK and in the United States. Wounded in Gallipoli, he left the army and returned to the theatre.[7][8][9]

Plot

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Doctor Christopher Syn, the parson of Dymchurch, leads a double life. By day, a mild mannered man of the cloth. By night, the leader of a gang of smugglers, via his alter ego, the masked Scarecrow. But this equilibrium is disrupted by Captain Collyer, a tenacious revenue officer charged with breaking the Romney smuggling operation. And at the same time, a member of Syn's old pirate crew arrives in town, one of the last living witnesses to Syn's true identity as the notorious pirate, Captain Clegg.

Critical reception

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The novel was a commercial success and received widespread acclaim as a work of popular fiction. The Sun dubbed it entertaining, albeit with a loose plot construction. The Sunday Times compared it to R. M. Ballantyne and Frederick Marryat. Critics generally praised the exciting though incredulous plot and compared it favorably to Treasure Island. The Chronicle, among others, suggested it would be a good present for schoolboys. The Yorkshire Post reviewed the novel favorably but criticized the "lighter touch" moments that descended into caricature. The Standard lauded the robust characters and personalities found within the story, especially the titular parson and the young Jerry Jerk. "It is a real pleasure to have such a frankly bloodthirsty, romantic, piratical smuggling story," according to the Manchester Courier.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20]

Overseas, it was also critically well-received. It was published in the United States on 26 February 1915 by Doubleday, Page & Company, followed by numerous reprints and reissues across several countries. Later publishers include Rich & Cowan, Cherry Tree Books (1938), Arrow Books (1959), Panther (1964), Jarrolds (1966), Ballantine Books (1973) and other more recent small presses.[21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28]

Adaptations

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Tom Reynolds as Mipps (left) and Russell Thorndike (right) as Doctor Syn in the 1927 production at The Strand Theatre

After the success of the novel, Thorndike returned to the stage. Although the story debuted as a stage play in 1910, it wasn't until October 1925 that a theatrical version reappeared, with a one-night engagement at Wyndham's Theatre. Authorship was credited to Thorndike and Ivan Firth, with Thorndike in the title role. A few months later, Thorndike launched a provincial tour of the play, re-staged, with film actress Alma Taylor. The production performed throughout the UK and opened at the Strand Theatre in 1927, with Florence McHugh replacing Taylor and with Tom Reynolds as Mipps. In 1928 young Robert Morley joined the cast on another tour of the show, his first professional role. Later productions were credited solely to Thorndike and produced by the author; he continued to perform the title role for many years. In 1937, George Arliss starred in a film adaptation.[29][30][31][32][33][34]

Legacy

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The success of Thorndike's novel led to a long career in fiction. Having killed off his eponymous character at the end of the novel, Thorndike wrote a series of six prequel novels between 1935 and 1944.The popularity of the character endures, with adaptations in film, theatre and television, annual live events, and references in comic books and other media.[35]

References

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  1. ^ Patterson-Rabon, Ann (21 July 1996). "Seeking Solution to Murder Mystery". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  2. ^ Patterson-Rabon, Ann (12 October 1996). "One good murder led to another for writer". Spartanburg Herald-Journal. Retrieved 28 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Mr Russell Thorndike's Company". South Eastern Gazette. 16 April 1910.
  4. ^ "Author and Actor, Mr Russell Thorndike's New Plays". Kent Messenger. 16 April 1910.
  5. ^ "The Country Gentleman". The Sketch. 10 August 1910.
  6. ^ "Topics". Sevenoaks Chronicle and Kentish Adviser. 22 April 1910.
  7. ^ Church, Hayden (30 May 1915). "Striking career of British author". The Age-Herald.
  8. ^ "An Actor's Novel". The Daily Mail Atlantic Edition. 13 January 1926.
  9. ^ "Obituary: Mr Russell Thorndike, actor and author". The London Times. 9 November 1972.
  10. ^ "Adventures of Many Kinds in Spring's Fiction". The Sun. 6 March 1915.
  11. ^ "Novels in Brief: Doctor Syn". The Sunday Times. 22 August 1915.
  12. ^ "From Messrs. T. Nelson & Son: Dr Syn". The Bookseller. 3 September 1915.
  13. ^ "Literary Notices: Doctor Syn". The Chronicle. 13 August 1915.
  14. ^ "Doctor Syn". The Westminster Gazette. 11 September 1915.
  15. ^ "Doctor Syn". The Yorkshire Post. 18 August 1915.
  16. ^ "Doctor Syn". Bristol Western Daily Press. 2 August 1915.
  17. ^ "The Newest Books: Doctor Syn". The Standard. 30 July 1915.
  18. ^ "New Novels: Dr. Syn". Manchester Courier. 7 August 1915.
  19. ^ "New Fiction: Dr. Syn". The Oxford Chronicle. 20 August 1915.
  20. ^ "The Library: Doctor Syn". The Queen, the Lady's Newspaper. 4 September 1915.
  21. ^ "New vogue of fiction". New York Times. 6 February 1915.
  22. ^ ""Dr. Syn"". The Wiluna Miner. 11 August 1939.
  23. ^ "Doctor Syn: A Smuggler's Tale of Romney Marsh". The Atlanta Constitution. 7 March 1915.
  24. ^ "Another Actor Author". Lewiston Journal Illustrated Magazine. 20 March 1915.
  25. ^ "The Book Case". The Syracuse Post-Standard. 13 March 1915.
  26. ^ "Among the Books". The Knickerbocker Press. 27 April 1915.
  27. ^ "Wholesale Smuggling". The New York Evening Post. 4 March 1915.
  28. ^ "Books and Authors: Dr Syn". The New York Daily News. 22 June 1926.
  29. ^ "The Strand: "Dr. Syn"". The Stage. 15 December 1927.
  30. ^ "Theatre Royale, Chatham: "Doctor Syn"". The Guardian. 28 May 1927.
  31. ^ "Interlude Players: "Doctor Syn"". The Era. 17 October 1925.
  32. ^ "Thorndike in "Doctor Syn"". The Era. 2 December 1925.
  33. ^ Marriott, R. B. (1 March 1979). "Robert Morley - larger than theatre". The Stage.
  34. ^ "The Provinces: Colwyn Bay". The Stage. 5 July 1928.
  35. ^ Swallow, Keith (2013). The Book of Syn. Hastings: Edgerton Publishing Services.
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