“Ross Poldark” by Winston Graham (post 2): Halfway through first novel of Poldark series, reflections on author’s name change, marriage, and the story

At age thirty-nine, the author, Winston Grime, legally changed his name to Winston Graham, which, until then, had been his literary pseudonym. Can you imagine changing your own name like that after thirty-nine years? (Search “pseudonyms” to see past posts on this recurring topic.)

Both Winston Graham, in his real life, and his protagonist, Ross Poldark, in this novel, meet the girl they will later marry when she is thirteen.

At the beginning of this story, Poldark, who had been feared dead by his family, returns to England from America, where he had been a British soldier fighting against the Americans in their war for independence. Neither Poldark’s experience in the war nor the war itself have been discussed, even briefly (an example of the author’s compartmentalization).

One interesting episode in the novel has been the affair and impending marriage between Verity, a young woman, and the love of her life, Captain Andrew Blamey. Verity’s family vehemently opposes the marriage, because he has a history, when drunk, of having killed his first wife. In contrast, Ross Poldark is sympathetic toward Verity’s love, especially since it appears that Captain Blamey is now abstinent and gentle. In short, the character with whom the author most identifies, Ross Poldark, is inclined to side with a man who may have a split personality.

1. Winston Graham. Poldark: Ross Poldark [1945]. Naperville Illinois, Sourcebooks Landmark, 2009/2015.