Red Pottage (1899) is novel by Mary Cholmondeley. Partly based on her
experience as an artist from a devoutly religious family, Red Pottage
is a story of friendship, romance, and identity that faced backlash from
critics for its controversial portrayal of female sexuality. Satirical
and deeply observant of the hypocrisies of Victorian society, Red
Pottage was an international bestseller in its time and was adapted
into a 1918 silent film starring Mary Dibley, C. Aubrey Smith, and
Gerald Ames. "It was a hot night in June. Hugh had thrown back his
overcoat, and the throng of passers-by in the street could see, if they
cared to see, 'the glass of fashion' in the shape of white waistcoat and
shirt front, surmounted by the handsome, irritated face of their owner,
leaning back with his hat tilted over his eyes." Handsome and
magnanimous, Hugh Scarlett has never had a hard time with romance.
Having recently ended an affair with a local aristocrat, he has caught
the eye of Rachel West, a young heiress who seems unaware of his
reputation as a womanizer. Rachel, both naïve and strong-willed, shares
everything with her friend Hester Gresley, a pastor's daughter who longs
to make it as a professional writer. As she struggles to overcome the
animosity of her brother, a self-righteous minister, Hester looks to
Rachel for guidance. Funny and tragic, Red Pottage is a timeless story
of friendship that explores the lives of women in a world controlled by
men. With a beautifully designed cover and professionally typeset
manuscript, this edition of Mary Cholmondeley's Red Pottage is a
classic work of British literature reimagined for modern readers.
