The Berry Scene
The Berry Scene is a 1947 collection of comic short stories by the English author Dornford Yates (Cecil William Mercer), featuring his recurring 'Berry' characters.
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Dornford Yates |
|---|---|
| Series | Berry books |
| Genre | Comic novel |
| Publisher | Ward Lock & Co[1] |
Publication date | 1947[1] |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 286[1] |
| Preceded by | The House That Berry Built |
| Followed by | As Berry and I Were Saying |
Plot
Ten short stories, filling in some of the gaps in the earlier books, with a short prologue recounting an episode of Berry's schooldays. Other characters from Yates' novels, such as the Lyvedens (Anthony Lyveden), the Beaulieus (The Stolen March) and Jenny Chandos (She Fell Among Thieves) appear briefly.
Chapters
| Chapter | Title | Setting |
|---|---|---|
| Prologue | Harrow School | |
| I | In Which I Drive Daphne To Brooch on Midsummer Day, and Berry Gives Evidence | Hampshire, 1907 |
| II | In Which Withyham Pays The Piper, But Berry Calls The Tune | Hampshire, 1907 |
| III | In Which We Talk With Big James, and Daphne Has Eyes To See | Hampshire, 1907 |
| IV | In Which We Play For The Village, And I Consider A Conversation Piece | Hampshire, 1914 |
| V | In Which I Make Daphne A Present, And Berry Favours The Bold | London and Hampshire, 1924 |
| VI | In Which Berry Is Attacked By Lumbago, And Jill Is Escorted To France | Hampshire and France, 1924 |
| VII | In Which Berry Meets Mr. Wireworm, And I Keep The Truth To Myself | Hampshire and London, 1924 |
| VIII | In Which We Fight For Our Rights, And An Old Acquaintance Does Us A Very Good Turn | Hampshire and London, 1934 |
| IX | In Which Berry Keeps A Diary, And Tells Us A Fairy-Tale | Hampshire, Portugal and London, 1935 |
| X | In Which Berry Dispenses Justice, And I Attend Fallow Hill Fair | Hampshire, 1936 |
| Epilogue | Portugal, 1946 | |
Critical reception
In his 1982 biography of Dornford Yates, AJ Smithers described the writing as 'elegant' while noting that certain chronological inconsistencies had by this time crept in to the narrative: "the reader must accept the fact without argument that Jonah bought his first Rolls at the age of sixteen. Readers are not expected to be too clever by half. If they are, they must suffer the consequences."[2] "Mercer had reached a point where such things could not be helped."[3]
References
- "British Library Item details". primocat.bl.uk. Retrieved 24 April 2020.
- Smithers 1982, p. 77.
- Smithers 1982, p. 203.
Bibliography
- Smithers, AJ (1982). Dornford Yates. London: Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN 0 340 27547 2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Usborne, Richard (1974). Clubland Heroes. London: Barrie & Jenkins. ISBN 0 214 20012 4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)