Edmund Twyford's characterization in The Old English Baron

Old English Baron is a novel that was written by Clara Reeve in 1777 and first published in 1778 as a re-write of The Castle of Otranto. This book consists of several characters with one of the main characters being Sir Philip Harclay who had a life-long friendship with Lord Novel. One of the most interesting characters in this book is Edmund Twyford who is not only a close friend to the son of old English baron, but can also do anything better as shown in this novel. Edmund is an interesting character in this book because of his personality, courage, and efforts in disproving the stories of the ghosts. Actually, Edmund's better personality makes some of his family members to become jealous of him to an extent that they start to plot against him. Interestingly, everything that is planned against him seems to backfire and make him an even better person than before.

The non-research question(s) on Edmund Twyford in The Old English Baron is, "Is Edmund Twyford too good for this story? What would happen if Edmund had a bad personality? Would the result of Edmund's bad personality be positive or negative on this story?"

Responses to the Question

Edmund Twyford seems too good for this story because of his excellent personality and the fact that he was seemingly gifted in everything. One of the criticisms that have surrounded this novel is that most of the characters in the plot, particularly Edmund Twyford, are very good and noble. Edmund stands out as a more noble character than others because of his humility despite being talented and performing well in nearly everything, especially athletic activities. Some of the things that make Edmund too good for this story are his seemingly extraordinary personality and character, abilities, and likeability. These things influenced the Baron's decision to bring Edmund into his house where he developed close friendship with his son (Reeve, p.15). Edmund seems too good for this story because he is noble and possesses all other god qualities that are admirable. Even when some of his family members plot against him, Edmund remains humble, pious and good, which make him to become a hero. In essence, Edmund Twyford appears like a saint or god who has relatively no faults and does nothing wrong. Reeve seemingly depicts Edmund as a god, which makes him too good for the story.

If Edmund had a bad personality, the story would have had significant changes and outcomes. First, Edmund's bad personality and character would mean that he wouldn't be brought to the baron's house and would have had no close friendship with the baron's son. Secondly, Edmund's family members could have not plotted anything against him because they would not be jealous of anything about his character and personality. Third, Edmund's could have used war or any other cruel means to fight any opposition against him throughout his life. Edmund's bad personality and character could have made the story more dramatic and more captivating to the reader.