Lord Feverstone
Encyclopedia
Richard Devine, Lord Feverstone is a fictional character in two of the books of C. S. Lewis
's Interplanetary Trilogy
.
Richard ("Dick") Devine knew the protagonist, Elwin Ransom
, at school, where they did not get on. Ransom meets him again years later, in Out of the Silent Planet
. At this time Devine is the business partner of Professor Weston
, a physicist, who has invented a spacecraft and is engaged in voyages to Mars.
Devine is mainly interested in the gold found there.
They kidnap Ransom with a view to giving him to a Martian ruler who they believe (wrongly) to be asking for a human sacrifice.
They travel to Mars but Ransom escapes.
Eventually all three return to Earth. Devine is described by the ruler of Mars as being dead as a person, whereas his companion Weston is only "bent". Devine only cares for wealth.
On the return trip, Devine earns some grudging respect from Ransom by his courage in steering the ship through a crisis.
In the third book of the trilogy, That Hideous Strength
, Devine has gone up in the world. He has been given a peerage, with the title Lord Feverstone (though it is uncertain whether he has inherited this title). He has an influence in government, and is on the verge of being admitted to the Cabinet
.
He is also a fellow of Bracton College at the University of Edgestow
, and a leading member of the N.I.C.E. (see University of Edgestow
). He brings Mark Studdock into the N.I.C.E.
As (engineered) disturbances break out at Edgestow, Feverstone is made Emergency Commissioner, since he represents simultaneously the nation (as a Cabinet Minister), the University, and the N.I.C.E.
Feverstone's appointment is part of the N.I.C.E.'s plan, but he keeps his options open in case the N.I.C.E. scheme to take over Britain misfires. He survives the destruction of the N.I.C.E. headquarters but is then caught in the destruction of Edgestow.
Feverstone's character is one that would now probably be described as that of a sociopath or psychopath, with great charm, complete self-centredness, and a lack of guilt. Feverstone notes that he never cheats unless he needs money, which (to him) shows that he has a clear conscience. Feverstone is fond of muffins, which he can devour in one bite, although there is some controversy among Lewis scholars about whether these are traditional English muffins or, less likely, American muffins.
Among the villains of Out of the Silent Planet, he is possibly the most convincing, indicating inter alia Lewis's suspicion of what sort of person succeeds in modern society.
C. S. Lewis
Clive Staples Lewis , commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis and known to his friends and family as "Jack", was a novelist, academic, medievalist, literary critic, essayist, lay theologian and Christian apologist from Belfast, Ireland...
's Interplanetary Trilogy
Space Trilogy
The Space Trilogy, Cosmic Trilogy or Ransom Trilogy is a trilogy of science fiction novels by C. S. Lewis, famous for his later series The Chronicles of Narnia. A philologist named Elwin Ransom is the hero of the first two novels and an important character in the third.The books in the trilogy...
.
Richard ("Dick") Devine knew the protagonist, Elwin Ransom
Elwin Ransom
Elwin Ransom is the prominent character from C. S. Lewis's Space Trilogy series. He is the main character in the books Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra, which are told almost entirely from his point of view...
, at school, where they did not get on. Ransom meets him again years later, in Out of the Silent Planet
Out of the Silent Planet
Out of the Silent Planet is the first novel of a science fiction trilogy written by C. S. Lewis, sometimes referred to as the Space Trilogy, Ransom Trilogy or Cosmic Trilogy. The other volumes are Perelandra and That Hideous Strength, and a fragment of a sequel was published posthumously as The...
. At this time Devine is the business partner of Professor Weston
Professor Weston
Professor Weston is arguably one of C. S. Lewis's greatest satanic characters. An eminent physicist on earth, he first appears in Lewis’s Out of the Silent Planet, which is the first in Lewis’s Space Trilogy...
, a physicist, who has invented a spacecraft and is engaged in voyages to Mars.
Devine is mainly interested in the gold found there.
They kidnap Ransom with a view to giving him to a Martian ruler who they believe (wrongly) to be asking for a human sacrifice.
They travel to Mars but Ransom escapes.
Eventually all three return to Earth. Devine is described by the ruler of Mars as being dead as a person, whereas his companion Weston is only "bent". Devine only cares for wealth.
On the return trip, Devine earns some grudging respect from Ransom by his courage in steering the ship through a crisis.
In the third book of the trilogy, That Hideous Strength
That Hideous Strength
That Hideous Strength is a 1945 novel by C. S. Lewis, the final book in Lewis's theological science fiction Space Trilogy. The events of this novel follow those of Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra and once again feature the philologist Elwin Ransom...
, Devine has gone up in the world. He has been given a peerage, with the title Lord Feverstone (though it is uncertain whether he has inherited this title). He has an influence in government, and is on the verge of being admitted to the Cabinet
Cabinet (government)
A Cabinet is a body of high ranking government officials, typically representing the executive branch. It can also sometimes be referred to as the Council of Ministers, an Executive Council, or an Executive Committee.- Overview :...
.
He is also a fellow of Bracton College at the University of Edgestow
University of Edgestow
The University of Edgestow is a fictional university which appears in the novel That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis. It is a small collegiate institution, dating back to at least the 14th Century. It has four colleges:* Bracton College...
, and a leading member of the N.I.C.E. (see University of Edgestow
University of Edgestow
The University of Edgestow is a fictional university which appears in the novel That Hideous Strength by C. S. Lewis. It is a small collegiate institution, dating back to at least the 14th Century. It has four colleges:* Bracton College...
). He brings Mark Studdock into the N.I.C.E.
As (engineered) disturbances break out at Edgestow, Feverstone is made Emergency Commissioner, since he represents simultaneously the nation (as a Cabinet Minister), the University, and the N.I.C.E.
Feverstone's appointment is part of the N.I.C.E.'s plan, but he keeps his options open in case the N.I.C.E. scheme to take over Britain misfires. He survives the destruction of the N.I.C.E. headquarters but is then caught in the destruction of Edgestow.
Feverstone's character is one that would now probably be described as that of a sociopath or psychopath, with great charm, complete self-centredness, and a lack of guilt. Feverstone notes that he never cheats unless he needs money, which (to him) shows that he has a clear conscience. Feverstone is fond of muffins, which he can devour in one bite, although there is some controversy among Lewis scholars about whether these are traditional English muffins or, less likely, American muffins.
Among the villains of Out of the Silent Planet, he is possibly the most convincing, indicating inter alia Lewis's suspicion of what sort of person succeeds in modern society.