Meeting Demelza - A Short Story By Winston Graham

Below is the short story of Winston Graham called 'Meeting Demelza'. This is the last published work that Winston Graham wrote before he died on 10th July 2003. It came about by chance because of Simon Parker. Simon is an award winning Author, Playwright, Editor, Publisher and Journalist.

Ross and Demelza - The Myth of An 'Impossible' Or 'Impractical' Separation

"But I could not come too you again-break up everyone's life afresh." 

Ross to Elizabeth three years after 'The May Incident'  'The Four Swans' 

After that 'May Incident' in 93 Ross did not go to see Elizabeth and only met with her by chance some three years later at the Sawle Church Graveyard in 1796. Elizabeth, who after wishing him dead in her thoughts and displaying a visible anger of him, had eventually calmed down when she suggested to him that he may have regretted what he done to her. As quoted above from this scene in the sixth book 'The Four Swans', Ross told Elizabeth in reply that he "could not" come to her and break up everyone's lives. From this, one might think this this suggested that part of Ross may have actually wanted to go to Elizabeth and therefore to break up his life with Demelza and her life with George too. So this scene in the book and after Ross's return to Nampara invites a consideration of Ross separating with Demelza and this is what this post will explore. 

From an emotional point of view previous posts 'A Discovery of Preference' and 'Reassurances and Reaffirmations of First Choice' both actually explore the question of whether it was a matter of the head rather than the heart that caused Ross to stay with Demelza, instead of separating to be with Elizabeth. They do both document that this was far from the case, with the first of those posts focusing on Ross's journey of discovery that he did not have a 'real and true love' for Elizabeth. The second focused on how, along with the author's verification, Ross was able to convey with conviction to Demelza that his real wish and his heart's desire was to be and stay with her. So in the end this choice of Ross's for Demelza, instead of Elizabeth, was made irrespective of practicalities because it was based on feeling rather than obligation or rather than just having to regretfully take what was left for him. 

It seems that Ross's words to Elizabeth at the Church Graveyard were phased deceptively in a spirit of peace and diplomacy. No doubt this was so that Elizabeth could feel comforted that he may have wanted to come to her. In light of her anger and Ross's great wrong to her it was fair that he take that approach rather than for Ross to have offended Elizabeth once again by implying that his offence was all for nothing and that she had experienced his attack on her when leaving Demelza never was the merest consideration for him. Nevertheless this post explores whether logistically Ross could have separated with Demelza for Elizabeth if he really wanted to. It will serve to address a questionable assumption that either way Ross had no choice but to stay with Demelza regardless of his wishes. This post will make significant historical references to personalities of the time and their separation scenarios in order to provide context of the times. So the focus here will be on the practical issues around processes and societal attitude to enable Ross and Demelza to separate, while the post to follow that called 'Ross and Demelza- Falling Into Separation' and 'Demelza's Three Offers To Leave Ross- Ross's Resistance' will focus on the emotional narrative of how they as an estranged couple fell into a state of separation with Demelza in particular leading the way with this against Ross's resistance. Thirdly in this quartet of essays 'Demelza’s Hall Pass' will similarly to this post cover the practicalities and societal attitude should Ross have wanted Elizabeth as his mistress.  

10 Truths On Elizabeth's Astonishments and Humiliations Pt1 (Demelza-Bud on the Horizon)

"Is it such an astonishment that a woman who changed her mind could change it twice?...Well, yes, perhaps it is, for it has always been an astonishment and a humiliation to me."

Elizabeth to Ross ‘Warleggan’ (Internal Book 1 Chapter 3)

This essay explores the theme of Elizabeth's 'astonishment' and 'humiliation' within her interaction with the Ross and Demelza love story. This follows on from the last post ‘A False Impression?: Elizabeth’s Impulsive And Romantic Disclosure To Ross', where Elizabeth introduced the idea of this theme applying to her. As a brief recap that post focused on the scene in ‘Warleggan’ at the Trevaunance party in May 1792 when Elizabeth Poldark told Ross Poldark that some years ago, at a time that she did not clarify, she had discovered that she loved him ‘better’ than Francis. She went on to say that her change of mind in favour of him “…has always been an astonishment and a humiliation to me.” That last post explored this and found that Graham’s narrative elsewhere contradicted Elizabeth’s disclosure and suggested that in Elizabeth's vagueness she had given Ross a false impression. However that does not mean that she did not feel these emotions for other reasons as part of a theme against her.

Marrying Demelza- Ross’s Engaging And Vital Blessing (A Satisfying Decision)

 

"There was the theme I wanted to express, dealing with the Ross- Elizabeth-Francis triangle...Into it also had come the engaging and vital character Demelza, who by now was intent on altering the shape of the story."

Winston Graham -'Woman Magazine' 10th December 1977

This is a follow up to 'Marrying Demelza: The Engaging and Vital Character (Foiling Elizabeth- Saving Ross)'. That focused on Demelza's vital role in altering Ross's life. This involved Demelza unintentionally provoking him to change his life philosophy so he could move even more sharply forward in his journey of moving on from Elizabeth. It then also involved her foiling Elizabeth’s plan for some kind of romantic reconciliation with Ross. That was by Demelza causing Ross to see her as another option and as ‘the obvious way out’, while good timing also played a hand in this too. So as considered in that previous post Demelza probably saved Ross a lot of heartache from something messy and unlikely to work out with Elizabeth anyway. Of course, while Ross was a blessing to Demelza and she often had these thoughts of gratitude about this, this post now looks at how Graham seemed to push and emphasise a strong narrative of Demelza being drafted into the story as a blessing to Ross and was his saving grace. This included the way she continued to play both a vital and engaging role for him beyond their wedding day as his wife, and how she fundamentally brought to his life things that he had never experienced and which made him happy. It’s to be presumed that this for Ross was most likely happier than he would have been without Demelza and with someone quite unlike her. That includes Elizabeth. In doing so, like a true heroine this post essentially does celebrate how Demelza served as a character that continued to have a major transforming effect on Ross that carried through beyond their day of marriage and impacted quite favourably on his quality and enjoyment of life. 

That Mysterious Unlocking Key-Demelza

Despite Ross's self confessed devotion to Elizabeth of several years, Winston Graham included narrative into the early story of Ross and Demelza's marriage which contradicted that he had a stronger attachment and yearning for Elizabeth of substance, than he had for Demelza. This post will look at one of these nuggets which gave the game away well before the final showdown as to which of the women would truly command his heart and why. This is the analogy that Graham set down for Demelza as being 'that key' that unlocked Ross's attention, desire and love.

Demelza: The Mysterious Unlocking Key 

'He was struck by the mystery of her personality ...that this hair and head and person of the young woman below it....meant more to him than any other because it made up in some mysterious way just that key which unlocked his attention and desire and love."

Narration of Ross's thoughts on Demelza 'Demelza' (internal book 1 chapter 10)

Graham wrote many scenes in the book as if to enhance and reinforce the notion of Demelza as Ross's greatest most meaningful love above any other. Of course this was over a period of time but it was actually not that long after they were married. This was at the beginning, during the course of the marriage and at the end of the saga where he reminded her that for him she was comparable to no other woman. However, much earlier, Graham includes a scene at the start of the second book ‘Demelza’ that followed an exchange of flirty banter between Ross and Demelza on their way back into their house. Inside Ross bent his head against Demelza’s hair and had private thoughts of gratitude that this ‘vibrantly alive woman’ whose personality he was struck by, was all his. It was here that Graham then wrote that Demelza ‘...meant more to him than any other because it (she) made up in some mysterious way just that key which unlocked his attention and desire and love.’ 

Poldark True Story Vs Adaption Fiction (Pt3 -Did Ross Settle For Second Best Choosing Demelza Over Elizabeth?)

There is no requirement that an adaption of a book to a movie or to a series must be 100% faithful to that book. In the case of the true story of Poldark written by Winston Graham, it is indeed noticeable that a different slant was given to the love story of Ross and Demelza and to Elizabeth's position within that in the most recent television adaption of Poldark (which commenced in 2015 and stopped in 2019). This was even after the climax where Ross quite unromantically took Elizabeth to bed by force. But as this series of posts considers whether Ross Poldark 'settled' for Demelza, it should be noted that in contrast to the adaption fiction, Winston Graham was clear in clarifying a narrative that can be distinguished from the narrative that was taken up in the latest adaption. This is his statement in his capacity as the story’s author that it was this experience, 'That May Incident' with Elizabeth that caused Ross to 'discover' that it was Demelza that he 'really' loved. (See image below: Article  Winston Graham Goes A Second Round, 'Opelousas- Daily World' newspaper dated 25th June 1978)  The differing stance of the adaption, how this was done and the impact this has on the perception of whether Ross settled for less with Demelza, is the focus of this particular post.

A Subliminal Narrative Revision

Adaption fiction not based on the true Poldark Story

The post to follow this one will focus on Ross subconsciously feeling that Demelza was the woman he wanted and loved more than any other woman. Hence more than Elizabeth! This is because there are bits of the story which serve as a foretelling that Ross would always choose Demelza over Elizabeth. This is because he loved her more authentically. However the discussion here is on how the Poldark series adaption did not necessarily support those foretellings in the books, but instead may have purposefully or inadvertently steered some viewers to think that, save for the unfinished business of Valentine, that there was also unfinished business in Ross's mind of an ongoing and romantic longing for Elizabeth after 'That May Incident'. This then can feed the idea for those viewers that contrary to Winston Graham’s statement there was indeed a loss to Ross in all this and that in his mind Demelza was and still remained his second best love even after this incident. 

Reassurances of First Choice Pt2 (Did Ross Poldark Settle For Second Best Choosing Demelza Over Elizabeth?)

This is the part two to the topic question of 'Did Ross settle for second best choosing Demelza over Elizabeth?' The part one post addressing this is titled 'A Discovery of Preference'. To briefly recap, the premise of that post was inspired from Winston Graham's 1978 interview for an American newspaper whereby talking of his Poldark books he explained that "It's the story of a man who is deprived of the woman he loves, then discovers once he has her, that he is really in love with his wife." Therefore that post followed Ross's journey of 'discovery' as to his feelings after his night with Elizabeth on 9th May. It was that journey in understanding his feelings that led him to realise that his preference and his genuine wish was to be with Demelza on the basis that she was his 'true and real love' and Elizabeth was not. 

This post now focuses on how Ross reinforced to Demelza (and the reader) that choosing her was his sincere choice. When it comes to the question of whether Ross settled for Demelza then naturally Ross's grand speech to Demelza that Christmas Eve 1793 has to be the main point of reference. This is because this was a declaration which essentially was an outpouring not only of his feelings for her as his preferred choice but his solid case and reassurances as to the truth of this.  The follow up post 'Foretelling and Reaffirmations of A Love More Real' will look at how Ross's discovery from 'that May Incident' was foretold even before that event and was reaffirmed afterwards.  

Release Of A Long Running Truth

Ross did seem to drag his feet when it came to reconciling with Demelza after 'that May incident' with Elizabeth. In taking seven whole months a natural assumption might be that he did not move with the speed of a man who wanted and craved for a reconciliation with Demelza desperately. However in the part one of this post topic we saw that Ross used that time to process his feelings and his confusion primarily over what Elizabeth meant to him against what Demelza did. The reconciliation was a long time coming when it came and the reason for this will be under a microscope in an upcoming post called 'What took Ross So Long Choosing Demelza Over Elizabeth?' However for now the length of time taken should not mislead the reader as to Ross's certainty of mind. In fact the reverse is true. 

Poldark: Nine Lives Nine Deaths

"You see, in a play one knows virtue is going to be triumphant..." 

Caroline Enys nee' Penvenen (Warleggan)

Except for the third there is at least one death in every book of the earlier set of seven books in the Poldark saga. In 'The Angry Tide' there are as many as five deaths including Sarah Enys, Mr Nathaniel Pearce, Reverend Osbourne Whitworth, Monk Adderly and Elizabeth Warleggan. So death is definitely a prominent feature of the Poldark story across all the books. 

Winston Graham wrote some very compelling and vivid passages for many of the death scenes in the story. Very often they were interwoven with themes, metaphors and concepts that tied together with others scattered across the story and which were particular to the character. This post is the prelude to a series of blogs which will look at 'The nine big deaths of Poldark'. Rather than the deaths written for the sub plots these will be the nine deaths that are of particular significance to the Ross and Demelza story in regards to their love and life story together. These include the deaths of Julia Poldark, Francis  Poldark, Agatha Poldark, Hugh Armitage, Monk Adderly, Elizabeth Warleggan, Jeremy Poldark, Stephen Carrington and the last death of the saga Valentine Warleggan. This series will look at the cause of each death and the themes that arise out of them together with the significance on the Ross and Demelza story. Also there can be no avoidance of the crucial question which is 'why?'.  'What was the reason for the death?'  This is in terms of the reason in respect of the story. That will be a matter that is of particular interest.

 

Two Reasons To Kill The Character 

Indeed when thinking of the death of a major character in a story this can naturally induce the thought of 'why did this character have to die?'  There can be sadness if it is a much loved character or a feeling of relief or satisfaction if the character was villainous, in some way unpleasant, an irritant or an agitator that frustrated the lives of others. Just like an antagonist would typically do. Of course, whatever the reader’s thoughts, the answer to why the character was made to die will always lie with the author. But even without an explicit running commentary from the author himself (in this case), it is not always so difficult to make an attempt to work out the author’s reasoning for writing a particular death in the story. This is even if they're reasons that the reader may not approve of or may actually resent. Winston Graham's style of writing aids this mission because it's often packed with such meaning which supports a particular and sometimes obvious theme for each of his characters and of the overall story. However, aside from this generally, and definitely, if taking a traditional literary approach, there are two main reasons for a character's death and the upcoming blog posts covering each of the nine character's death will look at what the author may have had in mind for each of the deaths he wrote.