I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

This story is unlike any other coming of age tale. Subtly humorous, set in a castle inhabited by a very poor family in the 1930s, I Capture the Castle is reminiscent of other Gothic novels in that there are two sisters living in an ancient castle in the English countryside. The younger narrates her adventures thus far as she writes in her journal, but always with a humorous, unexpected twist: she begins by writing while sitting on the kitchen counter and her feet in the sink!

Her father is a once-famous writer who now wanders between the main castle and the gatehouse, asking for oddities such as fish bones and china plates, and everyone wonders if he’ll ever write another book again. His writing seems stopped since his brief stint in jail for brandishing a cake serving knife at his first wife, and perhaps “repressing his temper has somehow repressed his talent.” (299) His current wife, the girl’s stepmother, is a former artist’s model whose sage advice is often lost on the day-dreaming, boy-crazy older sister. They share a brother who goes to college and as a result, is knowledgeable but emotionally detached from all art forms, and sometimes, his family.

The Recipe

Twice Cassandra goes to the inn and gets a glass of cherry brandy, her favorite drink: once is on one of her best days on an outing with her sister and the Cotton boys, the second is on one of her lowest when she is depressed over unattainable love. 

Stephen knew Cassandra liked to eat in the bath, especially chocolate, and bought her a “whole twopenny bar of nut-milk chocolate.”

“Cocoa…the most magnificent drink in the world” according to Cassandra, and also demanded by her father. 

An incident with her Father and Mother and a cake knife is mentioned early in the book, and afternoon tea used to mean little cakes and tea after lunch. 

Cherry Hot Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Cherry Frosting

Cherry Hot Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Cherry Frosting

Ingredients:

• 1 stick (1/2 cup, 4 oz) salted butter, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup cherry juice from jar of Bing cherries
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• 4 oz hot, strong black coffee
• 1/2 cup Bing cherries from a jar, diced

For the frosting

• 1 cup, 8 oz salted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 tbsp of cherry juice from jar of Bing cherries
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 12-14 Bing cherries for garnish, optional

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed, combine the brown and granulated sugars with the oil. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and powder, and cocoa powder. Press the cocoa powder through the sieve if clumps are forming. Sifting, in this case, is more about mixing than aerating the flour. When the sugars are combined, add the room temperature sour cream and milk to the mixer, followed by two teaspoons of vanilla extract. Then drop the speed to low and add the flour slowly, in quarters. 
2. Add the eggs carefully, one at a time, to the mixture on medium-low speed. When all of that is combined, add the hot coffee and mix on medium speed until fully incorporated. You may need to stop the mixer and scrape down the insides with a rubber spatula. Scoop batter into paper-lined cupcake tins about half-full. Top batter with 2-3 marshmallows, then add about a tablespoon more batter on top, until each cup is about two-thirds full. Bake for 18-20 minutes.
3. For the frosting: Whip butter in a stand mixer on medium-high speed for 2 minutes. Drop the speed to the lowest speed and add the cocoa powder and cherry juice. Then slowly add the powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and milk. Continue on low until all the powder disappears, then stop the mixer, scrapes the sides and bottom of the bowl, and turn the mixer on to medium-high speed for one minute. Frost onto cupcakes that have cooled at least 15 minutes, and garnish each cupcake with a Bing cherry. (I’ve also found these cherries at grocery stores).

Discussion Questions

1. How had the girl’s father’s unsociability “grown almost into a disease”? Do you think Cassandra was right in thinking that “he would prefer not to even meet his own household”?
2. How was Cassandra able to stay so positive and optimistic, even thinking that being able to write in her journal and the possibility of eggs for tea the next day made her “note that I never felt happier in my life”?
3. Mother brought the girls up to believe that their father was a genius and that geniuses mustn’t be hurried. Why is that?
4. For Cassandra, “noble deeds and hot baths are the best cures for [her] depression.” How did those things help her and lead to hilarity? What are other helpful solutions for depression (though we should always be careful never to push what we think is the best solution onto others, because each person’s mental health struggle is unique and complex.)
5. What hilarious thing happened to Cassandra (because she spoke before thinking) when she was in the bath?
6. Simon Cotton says that “the originators among writers…true creators, dip deep and bring up one perfect work; complete, not a link in a chain.” This was how they described the girl’s father. Do you agree? Can you think of any examples of this or the opposite?
7. Do you think the reason the family got along so well was because of a statement made by Cassandra “…miserable people cannot afford to dislike each other. Cruel blows of fate call for extreme kindness in the family circle”? Or do you think there was another reason for their kindness to each other? Have you ever heard about families who proved this theory, or the opposite?
8.  How did Rose get mistaken for a bear?
9. “What is it about the English countryside — why is the beauty so much more than visual”? As Simon stated. Are there any other places in the world you’ve seen, such as his suggestion of old New England villages?
10. What did Cassandra mean when talking about meeting up with the Cotton boys again, “…when things mean a very great deal to you, exciting anticipation just isn’t safe”?
11. Was Rose a gold-digger, only after Simon’s money, as Neil suggested?
12. What was it like for Rose getting a trousseau and what things did she “need”? How is this different from our post-modern era wedding registry, and even more now online?
13. What do you think of Stephen’s opinion that “if any unreligious person needed consolation from religion…sit in an empty church. And listen, not pray. Prayer’s a very tricky business. Inexperienced prayers think of God as a slot-machine”?
14. Have you ever mimicked this habit of Cassandra’s “sometimes I try to imagine what happens to characters in books after the books finish”? Are there any books you’ve read that almost demand it of the reader?
15. How did having a “real grief” changed Miss Marcy from being a very self-centered girl? How does that sometimes work for a person and sometimes not?
16.  What was meant by “…religion really can cure you of sorrow; somehow make use of it, turn it to beauty, just as art can make sad things beautiful. Sacrifice is the secret — you have to sacrifice things for art and it’s the same with religion; and then the sacrifice turns out to be a gain. You lose yourself in something beyond yourself and it’s a lovely rest”?
17. How can it be good advice to “go through it, not round it. It’s the best way for most of us in the end”?

Similar Reads

Other books by Dodie Smith are A Town in Bloom, A Tale of Two Families, and the famous children’s book 101 Dalmations, as well as its sequel, The Starlight Barking. 

The Lancashire Witches by William Harrison Ainsworth is recommended in the book, as is Villette by Anne Bronte—two books which will add perspective and understanding to the characters, especially when you re-read it. Also mentioned is the Shakespeare play As You Like It, the short story “The Fall of the House of Usher,” and the books The History of Henry Esmond, Pride and Prejudice, What Maisie Knew.

If you liked the coming of age aspect of the story, read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee or Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury (both set in nearly the same decade). For a more modern type of story in a journal or letter form, try Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty or The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky.

For a couple of the discussion questions at the end, and because they share many similar elements and themes, look up The Distant Hours by Kate Morton and Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.
For a darker, more Gothic tale smattered with odd humor of girls living in an old, decrepit castle, you can read We Have Always Lived in the Castle. 

Notable Quotes

“I write this sitting in the kitchen sink.”

“I have found that sitting in a place where you have never sat before can be inspiring—I wrote my very best poem while sitting in the hen-house.”

“You can’t write just for the wanting.”

“How long it takes to write the thoughts of a minute.”

“Contemplation seems to be about the only luxury that costs nothing.”

“Beginnings are good times.”

“…in baths, I bask first. I have discovered that the first few minutes are the best and not to be wasted —my brain always seethes with ideas and life suddenly looks much better than it did…The last stage of a bathe, when the water is cooling and there is nothing to look forward to, can be pretty disillusioning. I expect alcohol woks much the same way.”

“He looked at me, right into my eyes…there seemed to be a light in them and yet I have never seen them look so dark. And they were so direct that it was more like being touched than being looked at.”

“The first time girls feel their power it often takes them like that.”

“Walking down Belmotte was the oddest sensation—every step took us deeper into the mist until at last it closed over our heads. It was like being drowned in the ghost of water.”

“If you love people, you take them on trust.”

“…religion really can cure you of sorrow; somehow make use of it, turn it to beauty, just as art can make sad things beautiful. Sacrifice is the secret — you have to sacrifice things for art and it’s the same with religion; and then the sacrifice turns out to be a gain. You lose yourself in something beyond yourself and it’s a lovely rest.”

Bonus Activities:

• Suggested challenge: Cassandra says “How long it takes to write the thoughts of a minute!” Do you agree with her or not? Have you ever tried it? Pick a minute, even a busy one, and try writing every thought and its train that runs through your mind. Have a friend time you, or use your phone or a stopwatch. Look at what you came up with, and share it with the group. Compare the differences and similarities among your styles of writing and individual thoughts.

Cassandra also thinks “it really makes one feel rather God-like to turn things a different color.” Have you ever dyed or colored anything like your hair or clothing?

• Suggested challenge: Get together with your group and try having a shirt dying, or hair dying (you can also do this at the salon) event (or, if it is near Easter, try coloring eggs), or even a manicuring party and everyone can paint their fingernails and/or toenails. Make sure no one is pressured or forced into coloring anything of great value to them, as results cannot be guaranteed. Or you can just try this yourself. Please be careful and follow all instructions on dying applicators if you choose to do this challenge. Do not try it with anyone who has any skin or dye allergies.

© 2014 Amanda Lorenzo