Lord Feverstone/Richard Devine Character Analysis in That Hideous Strength

Richard Devine, who has been awarded the title of Lord Feverstone, is a member of the N.I.C.E. and one of the two men who kidnapped Elwin Ransom to Mars in Out of the Silent Planet. Feverstone is a greedy, self-centered man who easily manipulates Mark Studdock into joining the N.I.C.E. by playing on Mark’s wish to be included in an exclusive group. He hinders Mark’s development by preventing Mark from leaving the N.I.C.E. through threats and further manipulation. When the N.I.C.E. is granted emergency powers over Edgestow, the N.I.C.E. appoint Feverstone as emergency governor so they can make him a scapegoat if necessary. Feverstone survives Merlin’s destruction of the N.I.C.E. at Belbury, but he dies when the town of Edgestow is swallowed by the earth.

Lord Feverstone/Richard Devine Quotes in That Hideous Strength

The That Hideous Strength quotes below are all either spoken by Lord Feverstone/Richard Devine or refer to Lord Feverstone/Richard Devine. 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:

Obedience, Exclusivity, and Humility Theme Icon

Before [Curry] sat down, nearly everyone in the room desired strongly to make the outer world understand that Bragdon Wood was the private property of Bracton College and that the outer world had better mind its own business. […] Then came a new voice from quite a different part of the Soler. Lord Feverstone had risen. […] A good many Fellows––Studdock was not one of them––imagined they were watching a revolt on Feverstone’s part against Curry and his gang and became intensely interested. […] gradually, one by one, the “outsiders” and “obstructionists,” the men not included in the Progressive Element, began coming into the debate.

Related Characters: Curry, Lord Feverstone/Richard Devine, Mark Studdock

Related Symbols: Bragdon Wood

Page Number and Citation: 22-23

Explanation and Analysis:

The debate at the College Meeting introduces Mark and the reader to Lord Feverstone’s skill as a manipulator, as he leads the College Fellows to vote against their desires and allow the N.I.C.E. to purchase Bragdon Wood. The Meeting also establishes the social dynamics at play in Bracton College. Curry’s “Progressive Element” is the in-group. They tend to dominate conversations, and everyone is surprised when Lord Feverstone challenges Curry. This small moment of resistance to Curry’s assumed authority undermines the Progressive Element’s power and allows Fellows considered “outsiders” to feel comfortable making their voices heard. At the same time, the Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Molli

It was a moment of extraordinary liberation for Mark. All sorts of things about Curry and Busby which he had not previously noticed, or else, noticing, had slurred over in his reverence for the Progressive Element, came back to his mind. He wondered how he could have been so blind to the funny side of them.

“It really is rather devastating,” said Feverstone […] “that the people one has to use for getting things done should talk such drivel the moment you ask them about the things themselves. […] our two poor friends, though they can be persuaded to take the right train, or even to drive it, haven’t a ghost of a notion where it’s going to, or why.”

Related Characters: Lord Feverstone/Richard Devine (speaker), Curry, Mark Studdock

Page Number and Citation: 37-38

Explanation and Analysis:

When Lord Feverstone mocks Curry and the Progressive Element to Mark, Mark’s “reverence” for Curry’s clique shatters. The group that he used to find so impressive now becomes ridiculous, and he finds “extraordinary liberation” in this. That liberation, though, is false; Mark becomes aware of Curry’s flaws, which Mark had ignored while seeking Curry’s approval, only when Feverstone presents himself as a replacement for Mark’s reverence. It takes Mark until much later in the book to break free of the desire to be included in an exclusive circle. Additionally, this “liberation” is also essentially the freedom to make fun of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatu

“There’s far too much life of every kind about, animal and vegetable. We haven’t really cleared the place yet. First we couldn’t; and then we had aesthetic and humanitarian scruples […]. The third problem is man himself. Man has got to take charge of man. That means, remember, that some men have got to take charge of the rest––which is another reason for cashing in on it as soon as one can. You and I want to be the people who do the taking charge, not the ones who are taken charge of. […] sterilisation of the unfit, liquidation of backward races (we don’t want any dead weights), selective breeding. Then real education […]. A new type of man: and it’s people like you who’ve got to begin to make him.”

Related Characters: Lord Feverstone/Richard Devine (speaker), Mark Studdock

Page Number and Citation: 40

Explanation and Analysis:

Lord Feverstone explains to Mark what he believes to be the N.I.C.E.’s goals, and Mark listens with interest, eager to be initiated into the N.I.C.E.’s secrets. The N.I.C.E.’s two-pronged approach to controlling life––human and non-human––is the novel’s primary argument against modernization. According to Feverstone, wiping out plants and animals is not a side effect of industrialization, it is a goal. He writes off “aesthetic and humanitarian scruples” as obstacles that prevent humans from properly dominating Earth. He then goes on to argue that only a certain kind of human should dominate the Earth. Feverstone’s ideology regarding sterilizing “unfit” people, “liquidation” Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur

There were no houses on her left––only a row of beech trees and unfenced ploughland falling steeply away, and beyond that the timbered midland plain spreading as far as she could see and blue in the distance. […]

Meanwhile Lord Feverstone’s car had long since arrived at Belbury––a florid Edwardian mansion which had been built for a millionaire who admired Versailles. At the sides it seemed to have sprouted into a widespread outgrowth of newer and lower buildings in cement, which housed the Blood Transfusion Office.

Related Characters: Lord Feverstone/Richard Devine, Jane Studdock

Page Number and Citation: 49

Explanation and Analysis:

Jane goes to visit Miss Ironwood at Ransom’s Manor in St. Anne’s, while Mark goes with Lord Feverstone to the N.I.C.E. headquarters in Belbury. The contrast between the two settings is striking, and it highlights the difference between the organizations housed in each. The Manor is surrounded by nature. Part of St. Anne’s is entirely untouched by human industry, with no houses or even fences to mark anyone’s claim over the land. The plain spreads “as far as she could see” and allows for a clear view of the horizon, which foreshadows how Miss Ironwood and the Manor’s residents will Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignis

Lord Feverstone/Richard Devine Character Timeline in That Hideous Strength

The timeline below shows where the character Lord Feverstone/Richard Devine appears in That Hideous Strength. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...members of staff on their side of a disagreement at Bracton. Curry mentions that Lord Feverstone, whom Mark doesn’t know, has returned to Bracton and will attend the College Meeting. Feverstone... (full context)

...the entire University. Curry delivers a persuasive speech against the sale of the land, but Feverstone points out that the Wood requires a new wall, which will cost more than the... (full context)

Mark has dinner with Curry, Feverstone, and the College bursar. They discuss the social politics of Bracton and the sale of... (full context)

Curry and the bursar step out, and Feverstone laughs at them with Mark, who wonders how he never noticed their ridiculousness before. Feverstone... (full context)

Feverstone explains that the N.I.C.E is running experiments on humans, and he asks Mark to use... (full context)

At the N.I.C.E.’s temporary headquarters, Feverstone introduces Mark to the N.I.C.E.’s Deputy Director John Wither, who avoids Mark’s questions about what... (full context)

...his day. At the same time, Jane wonders how to tell Mark about her dreams. Feverstone talks to Curry at Bracton, informing him that Mark is staying at the N.I.C.E and... (full context)

...once again put off leaving the N.I.C.E. Mark finds a letter from Curry revealing that Feverstone has already told the College that Mark is resigning from his position as Fellow. Curry... (full context)

Feverstone invites Mark to join a society that meets in the N.I.C.E.’s library. The core members... (full context)

...supporting the popular opinion that the N.I.C.E. police should assume temporary control of Edgestow with Feverstone as emergency governor. They agree that Feverstone, who is no longer “quite in the Inner... (full context)

...about Ransom’s interplanetary adventures (though MacPhee himself doesn’t believe in them) and adds that Lord Feverstone is the new title of Dick Devine, who kidnapped Ransom along with Weston and brought... (full context)

...he is going to be hanged. He feels like a fool for trusting Wither and Feverstone, and he knows that Jane would have easily seen through both men. He realizes the... (full context)

Meanwhile, Feverstone hurries toward Edgestow, planning to retreat to his job at the University. He has laid... (full context)

...overtaken by the powers of the eldils. An earthquake strikes, the first in a series. Feverstone crashes his car on the way to Edgestow. He walks the rest of the way... (full context)

Lord Feverstone/Richard Devine Character Analysis

Lord Feverstone/Richard Devine Quotes in That Hideous Strength

Chapter 1 Quotes

Chapter 2 Quotes

Lord Feverstone/Richard Devine Character Timeline in That Hideous Strength