As titles go ‘A True Account of the Villainous Bartholomew Rakehell, Ne’er do well’ doesn’t sound like your average 21st century book. But then first-time author Nick Law hasn’t written your average book.
The bawdy tale, set in the late 18th century, is written in verse using the lexicon of the era and reveals a wicked sense of humour. The larger than life characters include Bristol lass, Jenny Go-Sprightly who decides to try her luck in London. Innocent Jenny appears to be ripe for exploitation but thankfully her ‘Bristol pluck’ sees her through.
The tale itself, by the authors own admission is ‘light, bawdy and frivolous’. It is the language employed by Law which sets this book apart. ‘I had to make sure all the words were of the period’ he says. ‘That has been incredibly important to me. It had to be authentic.’ The period details that form the backdrop to the story have also been meticulously researched.
An unusual career path lent itself perfectly to developing an understanding of 18th century language. After graduating from drama school and working for a period of time as an actor, Law worked for a ‘Live Costumed Interpretation and Historical Special Events Company’ called Past Pleasures where he was immersed in history for 13 years.
As if one unusual job wasn’t enough, Law more recently had a stint at being a stand-up comic. This is apparent throughout, take for example this description of Mrs Come-Quickly’s brothel,
‘Her wenches were comely, her rooms clean and tidy
Her virgins were all guaranteed Bona Fide
She’d ripe juicy slatterns like Lombardy grapes Some buxom, some lithesome – all sizes and shapes’.
The Totterdown based author explains how his characters came to life, ‘Some characters came just as names, like Timothy Tosspot’ he says. ‘Whilst others are based on real people or archetypes.’ Then revealing his obsession with the origin of words Nick explains with a straight face that ‘Tosspot meant drunkard originally, and Tosser is just an abbreviation of that’.
The anti-hero of Bartholomew Rakehell is influenced by the fast life and colourful times of Richard Barry, the 7th Earl of Barrymore. Law describes him as ‘A notorious rake, a well known womaniser, gambler and drinker. He formed the Four-in-hand club for a group of men that enjoyed racing four horse carriages at breakneck speed. The Earls speciality was to drive through alleyways and break the windows on either side using his whip’ he says with a chuckle. ‘Despite this, he was also strangely charming’.
It obvious that Law is fascinated with the period, and choosing to write in rhyming couplets reflects this, ‘I describe the book right at the beginning as being in the authors best doggerel. Doggerel is often demeaned as meaning inferior but originally it meant light, rhyming verse in couplets’.
Choosing such a style is a brave undertaking for a first time writer ‘sometimes I could write 20 lines in an hour, sometimes it would take 20 hours just to do one line. It was difficult and enjoyable at the same time because having those limits makes you work harder’ he reveals. This process may also account for the book taking ten years, on and off, to write.
‘Rakehell’ recalls a past era of bordello’s, brothels and bare-knuckle boxers. This contrasts nicely with today’s modern world. The plot is fun, and the language is simultaneously colourful whilst retaining an academic accuracy. The balance is finely tuned and a heavier plot with this kind of language may have been too alienating for a lot of readers. The ghost of the Earl of Barrymore rides again.
Tags: 18th century poetry, Bartholemew Rakehell, Bristol Review of Books, Nick Law
