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{{Short description|1959 political novel by Wilfred Fienburgh}} |
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'''''No Love for Johnnie''''' by [[Wilfred Fienburgh]], was first published in 1959 by [[Hutchinson (publisher)|Hutchinson]]. Essentially a [[political novel]] it deals with the life of Johnny Byrne, a cynical and burnt-out politician whose career has ostensibly stalled due to his leftist leanings in a "conservative" Labour government. It was made into [[No Love for Johnnie|a film]] in 1961, directed by [[Ralph Thomas]]. |
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{{Tone|date=February 2020}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} |
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==Plot introduction== |
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| ⚫ | Stylistically the novel belongs to the genre associated with [[John Osborne]], [[John Braine]], [[Shelagh Delaney]] and other realist writers who were to find their voices |
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| ⚫ | Under scrutiny are his relationships with his cold, politically driven wife, Alice, whose own politics are a point of contention for Johnnie. His neighbour, Mary and the young woman, Pauline illuminate Byrne's darker aspects. As a piece of literature it may be considered light weight but re-readings will reveal a tight structure and a credible analysis of the way powerful individuals, the makers of social change, are paradoxically vulnerable |
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{{Infobox book |
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==Major themes== |
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| author = [[Wilfred Fienburgh]] |
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Political success as a result of chance is less desirable than success that has resulted from the manipulation of political advantage. And it is this observation that makes No love for Johnny a more substantial novel than it may first appear. |
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| pub_date = 1959 |
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| publisher = [[Hutchinson Heinemann]] |
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| image = NoLoveForJohnnie.jpg |
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| caption = First edition cover |
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}} |
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'''''No Love for Johnnie''''' is a [[political novel]] by British politician [[Wilfred Fienburgh]], first published in 1959 by [[Hutchinson Heinemann]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=1959-06-15 |title=No Love for Johnnie |url=https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/a/wilfred-fienburgh/no-love-for-johnnie/ |access-date=2024-10-07 |website=[[Kirkus Reviews]] |archive-date=18 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220418073234/https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/a/wilfred-fienburgh/no-love-for-johnnie/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=MacShane |first=Denis |date=2000 |title=Politics: Political Johnnies |url=https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/73213263/1467-8705.0028120211020-2481-d66hsi-libre.pdf?1634763971=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DPolitics_Political_Johnnies.pdf&Expires=1728271925&Signature=PThrTfGLgSD39FMU5uw-H41OMeHFlAx9WHa7Flc6eibc9CekSfc-o4rNUTX9hJR8su2dcFyaW73BRtbnoTcEQ7uRUvg6O4X3aHMSb1bGW8cw~qN2Hic2HCRH8W39MeSbB9fXKmT0izty5EX3FmzFGdOrRycG4vNSSW5eq6~OzuxdISjm5pt3PwiVqCzjjAj6nhuzSW6xaufdJTYsZ2FYVBDwFj3u0L1MuJgiPTGDdAjM-vahzj8EZsQGNEJXo8IdrjV46CMxIIq-aBCUaAgij6f-FC3l3gVUgQTP9uhTsRlH~lrkJOjn~d8KlQX3FyGj4U8OZwNY47znzSCybW3RYg__&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA |journal=Critical Quarterly |volume=42 |issue=1 |pages=128-136}}</ref> The novel tells the story of Johnny Byrne, a cynical and burnt-out politician whose career has stalled due to his leftist leanings in a conservative Labour government. The novel was adapted into a [[No Love for Johnnie|film]] in 1961, directed by [[Ralph Thomas]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Roberts |first=Andrew |url=https://www.manchesterhive.com/view/9781526147042/9781526147042.xml |title=Idols of the Odeons |date=2020-04-23 |publisher=Manchester University Press |isbn=978-1-5261-4704-2 |chapter=Peter Finch: The ‘actor’s actor’? |doi=10.7765/9781526147042.00026 |access-date=7 October 2024 |archive-date=27 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927210416/https://www.manchesterhive.com/view/9781526147042/9781526147042.xml |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Roberts |first=Andrew |url=https://www.manchesterhive.com/view/9781526147042/9781526147042.xml |title=Idols of the Odeons |date=2020-04-23 |publisher=Manchester University Press |isbn=978-1-5261-4704-2 |chapter=Stanley Baker: The British Brando? |doi=10.7765/9781526147042.00012 |access-date=7 October 2024 |archive-date=27 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220927210416/https://www.manchesterhive.com/view/9781526147042/9781526147042.xml |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Lovell |first=Alan |date=1961 |title=No Love for Johnnie |url=https://newleftreview.org/issues/i8/articles/frewen-martin-old-folks-at-home.pdf |journal=[[New Left Review]] |pages=54-55}}</ref> Through Byrne's story, the novel explores the complexities of power and ideology, raising questions about the true cost of ambition and the corrupting influence of power, offering a thought-provoking commentary on the political landscape of its time. |
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If nothing else the novel provides a fine picture of English society just prior to its fillip into the swinging London era which made many of the issues that trouble Byrne essentially less problematic.{{POV|date=December 2007}} |
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==Overview== |
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==Literary significance & criticism== |
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| ⚫ | Stylistically the novel belongs to the genre associated with [[John Osborne]], [[John Braine]], [[Shelagh Delaney]] and other realist writers who were to find their voices in the new wave of British "verismo" art forms. The narrative allows the reader to examine the internal conflicts that Johnnie Byrne negotiates as he attempts to find some merit in his desultory existence. |
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Being a political novel opinion is unlikely to be unbiased, however this comment by Alan Lovell in 1961 is quite harsh, |
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:''"No Love for Johnnie is a bad novel"'' <ref>{{cite web | title=Film Chronicle - No Love for Johnnie | last=Lovell | first=Alan | work=New Left Review | url=http://www.newleftreview.org/?view=864 | date=March-April 1961 | page=55 | accessdate=2007-05-18 }}</ref>. |
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| ⚫ | Under scrutiny are his relationships with his cold, politically driven wife, Alice, whose own politics are a point of contention for Johnnie. His neighbour, Mary and the young woman, Pauline illuminate Byrne's darker aspects. As a piece of literature, it may be considered light weight but re-readings will reveal a tight structure and a credible analysis of the way powerful individuals, the makers of social change, are paradoxically vulnerable ciphers in a world where they too may be ill-served by cupidity. |
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==Footnotes== |
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<div class="references-small"><references/></div> |
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== References == |
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{{1950s-novel-stub}} |
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{{Reflist}} |
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[[Category:Hutchinson (publisher) books]] |
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Latest revision as of 02:51, 7 October 2024
 | This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (February 2020) |
 First edition cover | |
| Author | Wilfred Fienburgh |
|---|---|
| Publisher | Hutchinson Heinemann |
Publication date | 1959 |
No Love for Johnnie is a political novel by British politician Wilfred Fienburgh, first published in 1959 by Hutchinson Heinemann.[1][2] The novel tells the story of Johnny Byrne, a cynical and burnt-out politician whose career has stalled due to his leftist leanings in a conservative Labour government. The novel was adapted into a film in 1961, directed by Ralph Thomas.[3][4][5] Through Byrne's story, the novel explores the complexities of power and ideology, raising questions about the true cost of ambition and the corrupting influence of power, offering a thought-provoking commentary on the political landscape of its time.
Overview
[edit]Stylistically the novel belongs to the genre associated with John Osborne, John Braine, Shelagh Delaney and other realist writers who were to find their voices in the new wave of British "verismo" art forms. The narrative allows the reader to examine the internal conflicts that Johnnie Byrne negotiates as he attempts to find some merit in his desultory existence.
Under scrutiny are his relationships with his cold, politically driven wife, Alice, whose own politics are a point of contention for Johnnie. His neighbour, Mary and the young woman, Pauline illuminate Byrne's darker aspects. As a piece of literature, it may be considered light weight but re-readings will reveal a tight structure and a credible analysis of the way powerful individuals, the makers of social change, are paradoxically vulnerable ciphers in a world where they too may be ill-served by cupidity.
Even though the weak ending of his relationship with a much younger woman may seem clichéd and trite by twenty-first century standards, it is handled with a certain amount of legerdemain and irony so that it escapes being trite. There is a sense that Byrne lands on his feet by his very own inaction in political matters. By the novel's end, it is clear that Byrne himself has failed to influence his own life. and appears to be a pawn at the mercy of events around him.
References
[edit]- ^ "No Love for Johnnie". Kirkus Reviews. 15 June 1959. Archived from the original on 18 April 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ MacShane, Denis (2000). "Politics: Political Johnnies" (PDF). Critical Quarterly. 42 (1): 128–136.
- ^ Roberts, Andrew (23 April 2020). "Peter Finch: The 'actor's actor'?". Idols of the Odeons. Manchester University Press. doi:10.7765/9781526147042.00026. ISBN 978-1-5261-4704-2. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ Roberts, Andrew (23 April 2020). "Stanley Baker: The British Brando?". Idols of the Odeons. Manchester University Press. doi:10.7765/9781526147042.00012. ISBN 978-1-5261-4704-2. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
- ^ Lovell, Alan (1961). "No Love for Johnnie" (PDF). New Left Review: 54–55.