L. M. Alcott

Under the Lilacs

• Broschiertes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

Under the Lilacs By Louisa May AlcottUnder the Lilacs is a children's novel by Louisa May Alcott, first published in 1878.Bab and Betty, two little girls, are having a tea party with their dolls when an unknown dog appears and steals their cake. The girls find the dog, Sancho, along with his owner Ben Brown, a run-away from the circus who is hiding in their play barn in a carriage. They discover that Ben is a horse master and when he is taken in by the Moss', they get him a job on a neighboring farm. It is there that he can work with horses and drive cows. Ben eventually finds out that his father, who he loved dearly, was dead. A neighbor, Miss Celia, helps him through his grief and he moves in with her and her brother Thornton who is fourteen. He has a job, and a family, and an opportunity for education. Ben has a wonderful life now, but his life in the circus was full of adventure and excitement which is a struggle for Ben. Many adventures and summer-happenings go on in Celia's house, as Ben slowly finds his place among his friends. Sancho gets lost and later is found by Betty with his tail cut off. Sancho's temper is therefore affected forever prompting him to be unfriendly to tramps and strangers, Ben is accused of stealing, Miss Celia gets hurt and Ben takes a wild ride on her horse, Lita. They have an archery competition, where Ben emerges as the winner almost beaten by Bab. In the end Ben's father is revealed to be alive and he comes home. There they both settle down.The elm-tree avenue was all overgrown, the great gate was never unlocked, and the old house had been shut up for several years. Yet voices were heard about the place, the lilacs nodded over the high wall as if they said, "We could tell fine secrets if we chose," and the mullein outside the gate made haste to reach the keyhole, that it might peep in and see what was going on. If it had suddenly grown up like a magic bean-stalk, and looked in on a certain June day, it would have seen a droll but pleasant sight, for somebody evidently was going to have a party. From the gate to the porch went a wide walk, paved with smooth slabs of dark stone, and bordered with the tall bushes which met overhead, making a green roof. All sorts of neglected flowers and wild weeds grew between their stems, covering the walls of this summer parlor with the prettiest tapestry.

Produktdetails

• Verlag: Lulu.com
• Seitenzahl: 182
• Erscheinungstermin: 27. Juni 2022
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 210mm x 148mm x 10mm
• Gewicht: 244g
• ISBN-13: 9781387833832
• ISBN-10: 1387833839
• Artikelnr.: 65186289

Autorenporträt

A Modern MephistophelesLouisa May AlcottLOUISA MAY ALCOTT WAS A 19TH CENTURY AMERICAN NOVELIST. HER NOVELS LITTLE WOMEN AND JO'S BOYS ARE HER BEST-KNOWN WORKS. ALCOTT BECAME A STRONG FEMINIST AND ABOLITIONIST. IN 1862-63 SHE WORKED AS A NURSE IN THE UNION HOSPITAL IN GEORGETOWN D C. A MODERN MEPHISTOPHELES IS A STORY FULL OF PSYCHOLOGICAL TENSION AND DRAMA. IT EXPLORES A POOR FAILING WRITER'S PRICE FOR GIVING HIS DEVOTION TO ANOTHER. THE NOVEL TOUCHES ON THE SUBJECTS OF SEXUALITY AND DRUG ABUSE. ALCOTT GIVES HER READER A STUDY IN HUMAN EVIL AND THE HORRIBLE CONSEQUENCES."A MODERN MEPHISTOPHELES" WAS WRITTEN AMONG THE EARLIER VOLUMES OF THE NO NAME SERIES, WHEN THE CHIEF IDEA OF THE AUTHORS WAS TO PUZZLE THEIR READERS BY DISGUISING THEIR STYLE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE, THAT THEY MIGHT ENJOY THE GUESSING AND CRITICISM AS EACH NOVEL APPEARED. THIS BOOK WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL IN PRESERVING ITS INCOGNITO AND MANY PERSONS STILL INSIST THAT IT COULD NOT HAVE BEEN WRITTEN BY THE AUTHOR OF "LITTLE WOMEN." AS I MUCH ENJOYED TRYING TO EMBODY A SHADOW OF MY FAVORITE POEM IN A STORY, AS WELL AS THE AMUSEMENT IT HAS AFFORDED THOSE IN THE SECRET FOR SOME YEARS, IT IS CONSIDERED WELL TO ADD THIS VOLUME TO THE FEW ROMANCES WHICH ARE OFFERED, NOT AS FINISHED WORK BY ANY MEANS, BUT MERELY ATTEMPTS AT SOMETHING GRAVER THAN MAGAZINE STORIES OR JUVENILE LITERATURE.WITHOUT, A MIDWINTER TWILIGHT, WHERE WANDERING SNOWFLAKES EDDIED IN THE BITTER WIND BETWEEN A LEADEN SKY AND FROST-BOUND EARTH. WITHIN, A GARRET GLOOMY, BARE, AND COLD AS THE BLEAK NIGHT COMING DOWN. A HAGGARD YOUTH KNELT BEFORE A LITTLE FURNACE, KINDLING A FIRE, WITH AN EXPRESSION OF QUIET DESPERATION ON HIS FACE, WHICH MADE THE SIMPLE OPERATION STRANGE AND SOLEMN. A PILE OF MANUSCRIPT LAY BESIDE HIM, AND IN THE HOLLOW EYES THAT WATCHED THE WHITE LEAVES BURN WAS A TRAGIC SHADOW, TERRIBLE TO SEE,-FOR HE WAS OFFERING THE FIRST-BORN OF HEART AND BRAIN AS SACRIFICE TO A HARD FATE. SLOWLY THE CHARCOAL CAUGHT AND KINDLED, WHILE A LIGHT SMOKE FILLED THE ROOM. SLOWLY THE YOUTH STAGGERED UP, AND, GATHERING THE TORN SHEETS, THRUST THEM INTO HIS BOSOM, MUTTERING BITTERLY, "OF ALL MY HOPES AND DREAMS, MY WEARY WORK AND PATIENT WAITING, NOTHING IS LEFT BUT THIS. POOR LITTLE BOOK, WE'LL GO TOGETHER, AND LEAVE NO TRACE BEHIND." THROWING HIMSELF INTO A CHAIR, HE LAID HIS HEAD DOWN UPON THE TABLE, WHERE NO FOOD HAD BEEN FOR DAYS, AND, CLOSING HIS EYES, WAITED IN STERN SILENCE FOR DEATH TO COME AND TAKE HIM.