ABSTRACT
Hector Bartlett’s intellectual shortcomings, both characterological and authorial, are detailed at some length in the novel. Less prominent but equally interesting for present purposes are those of our second antihero: Martin York. Martin York is Mrs Hawkins’ employer at Ullswater Press, a publishing firm that he eventually runs into the ground through both financial and creative mismanagement. Perhaps an account of intellectual snobbery could follow the same strategy: start with an account of snobbery as a moral vice, before extrapolating to the intellectual domain. Although he does not talk about intellectual snobs specifically, Emrys Westacott can be read as taking this approach. The problem with Bartlett is not simply that he is interested in Nietzsche, Aristotle, and the rest;4 these are, after all, major intellectual figures, and engaging with their work can be a fruitful and fulfilling exercise.
