Our Mutual Friend, Chapter 11 summary
Chapter 11 of 68 · Book 1: The Cup and the Lip · 25 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 11, Mr Podsnap hosts a birthday gathering for Georgiana, displays his national pride, and rejects evidence that people starve in London. While his daughter suffers through unwanted dances, Mrs Lammle wins her trust, and the Lammles privately identify that friendship as a source of money and revenge against her father.
What happens
- Mr Podsnap dismisses unwelcome facts and foreign customs, while his sheltered daughter Georgiana shrinks before her parents.
- The Podsnaps arrange birthday entertainment, and Mr Podsnap lectures a foreign guest on English speech and national superiority.
- The Veneerings use discussion of the Harmon murder to cultivate desirable acquaintances.
- Mrs Lammle gains Georgiana's confidence between dances that Georgiana finds deeply distressing.
- Mr Podsnap rejects a meek guest's evidence of starvation and ends the discussion as unsuitable for the company.
- After securing Georgiana's affection, the Lammles leave and privately discuss exploiting her for money.
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In this chapter
What to notice
Mr Lammle’s private instruction exposes the purpose behind the couple's affectionate behavior. Georgiana understands the connection as friendship, while he treats her trust as something to control.
Quick check
How does Mr Podsnap respond when the meek man supports reports of starvation with official evidence?
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