Demelza (novel)

For other uses, see Demelza.

Demelza
AuthorWinston Graham
LanguageEnglish
SeriesPoldark
PublisherWard Lock & Co
Publication date
1946
Publication placeCornwall
Preceded byRoss Poldark 
Followed byJeremy Poldark 

Demelza is the second of twelve novels in Poldark, a series of historical novels by Winston Graham. It was published in 1946.[1]

Demelza continues the story of Ross Poldark and his wife, Demelza. It opens in May 1788, six months after the final events depicted in Ross Poldark. While the first novel ends on a note of triumph for Demelza, the second novel in the series closes with the tragic death of Demelza's first child. Additionally, as the novel closes, Ross's finances are in poor shape and he and Demelza have had to sell off a number of important family and farm items, including livestock. Ross has been forced to close a copper smelting company he started. His long-simmering enmity with George Warleggan flares up. Francis and Elizabeth Poldark become estranged from Ross and Demelza because Francis is angry at the role played by Demelza in facilitating the elopement of his sister, Verity.[2][3] Dwight Enys, who becomes a major character over time, is introduced for the first time in Demelza.[4]

The events in Demelza are the basis for Season 1, Episodes 5-8 in the 2015 television series adaptation produced by the BBC.

Demelza and the preceding novel in the series (Ross Poldark) have been analyzed by scholars who say that as the most popular fictional representations of Cornwall, they helped define a Cornish national identity.[5]

  1. ^ Ellie Friedman and Joyce Carter (October 2014). "The Poldark Series by Winston Graham". National Library Service for the Blind and Disabled/Library of Congress. Retrieved 5 May 2020.
  2. ^ "Demelza". Pan McMillan. Archived from the original on 15 August 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  3. ^ "Novels and Writing". Winston Graham: Author of Poldark. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  4. ^ "Works of Winston Graham" (PDF). In Profile: A Winston Graham Reader. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  5. ^ Blinova, Olga. "Narrative and Linguistic Representation of Cornish Identity in Fiction and Screen Adaptations (the Case of Poldark)". SSRN (28 May 2021). Retrieved 2 June 2021.