Plays by David Farn

Synopsis

It is 1883, and at Brantwood, a grand house overlooking Coniston Water, a young woman called Marion Twelves is nervously waiting for an interview with the famous Victorian art critic, John Ruskin. Ruskin, though only fifty-four, is old before his time, disillusioned, and considered half-mad.

Marion is hoping to persuade Ruskin to sponsor the small, lace-making co-operative she has set up but, due to a misunderstanding, Ruskin angrily orders her out of the house. Can the resourceful Marion – inspired by a figure in one of Wordsworth’s poems – redeem this unfortunate situation?

In the play, and using many of his own words, Ruskin’s fears are revealed to be the same as we have today: the alienating rise of technology and the threat of ecological doom.

The Fabric of Life is a 30 minute stage play for two actors: one male (aged about 60) and one female (aged about 30). It is based on two real characters from history, who did in fact collaborate over what became the Ruskin Linen industry, though I have entirely invented this meeting between the two of them.

The Characters

Marion Twelves

A real character from history. Not much is known about Marion, so I have imagined her as a modest, hard-working woman of the servant class, thoughtful and caring, but with an ambition for her craft which drives her to be determined and inventive.

John Ruskin

Ruskin was, at this time, a well-known public figure. He had made his name as an art critic and sponsor of the Pre-Raphaelites, but was much lampooned in the press for his strident views on Industrialism. A very public divorce from his cousin, Effie, seems to have had a damaging effect on his state of mind and, when we meet him, he is old before his time and not always coherent.

The Setting

The year is 1883. The place is the drawing-room of John Ruskin, the famous Victorian art critic. There is a writing-desk strewn with books and other papers. On the walls, perhaps, there are some architectural sketches, and some geological specimens in cases ranged about.

Previous Performance

The Fabric of Life was first produced by Penrith-based Quondam Theatre Company in 1997, and ran for fifteen performances over the Summer at Brantwood, Coniston, which was Ruskin’s home for the last thirty years of his life. It was staged in the drawing-room, overlooking the lake, as part of a dinner-theatre evening.