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Mr. Hargood-Hood
Mr. and Mrs. Hornbeam, who largely act as one unit, are a pretentious and self-absorbed couple who live in the Old Mill and have no children. Mr. Metcalfe counts them among his wealthy neighbors, but as a “borderline case.” Their financial situation is a little complicated: they seem to make very little (if any) money of their own, but Mr. Hornbeam’s father sends them enough money to be comfortably upper-class. Their hypocrisy shines in this detail; given that the Hornbeams live off of someone else’s money, their disdain for Mr. Metcalfe’s cotton fortune and lack of refinement is more than a little unfair. Refinement for the Hornbeams means a homespun lifestyle as a hobby rather than a necessity, and they’re interested in casual liberal politics and Japanese spiritual practices. Waugh mocks these two perhaps more ferociously than he does any other characters in the story, and although they play a very minor role in the plot, they do lay the ground for a lot of incisive social comedy.
The Hornbeams Quotes in An Englishman’s Home
The An Englishman’s Home quotes below are all either spoken by The Hornbeams or refer to The Hornbeams. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 1
Quotes
[…] the Hornbeams at the Old Mill were a childless, middle-aged couple who devoted themselves to craftsmanship. Mr. Hornbeam senior was a genuine commercial potter in Staffordshire; he supported them reluctantly and rather exiguously, but this backing of unearned quarterly cheques placed them definitely in the upper strata of local society […]. Mr. Metcalfe thought Mr. Hornbeam Bohemian, and Mr. Hornbeam thought Mr. Metcalfe Philistine.
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The Hornbeams Quotes in An Englishman’s Home
The An Englishman’s Home quotes below are all either spoken by The Hornbeams or refer to The Hornbeams. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Part 1
Quotes
[…] the Hornbeams at the Old Mill were a childless, middle-aged couple who devoted themselves to craftsmanship. Mr. Hornbeam senior was a genuine commercial potter in Staffordshire; he supported them reluctantly and rather exiguously, but this backing of unearned quarterly cheques placed them definitely in the upper strata of local society […]. Mr. Metcalfe thought Mr. Hornbeam Bohemian, and Mr. Hornbeam thought Mr. Metcalfe Philistine.
Related Characters:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
