Victorian Short Stories: Stories of Courtship

Metadata

Gutenberg ID

15381

Title

Victorian Short Stories: Stories of Courtship

Language

en

Book source

Project Gutenberg

Description max 80 words

Victorian Short Stories: Stories of Courtship presents a collection of romantic tales from the late 19th century, exploring themes of love, social constraints, and moral dilemmas. Featuring works by authors like William Schwenk Gilbert and Anthony Trollope, the anthology offers a poignant look at courtship rituals, class differences, and the complexities of human emotion during the Victorian era.

Summary up to 500 words

Victorian Short Stories: Stories of Courtship presents a poignant collection of narratives exploring the friction between personal desire and rigid societal norms. The anthology opens with William Schwenk Gilbert's "Angela," an inverted romance set in Venice. A paralyzed narrator courts a young woman, Angela, solely through the reflections of flowers in a canal. Their silent courtship, marked by exchanged blooms and shared pantomime, culminates in a heartbreaking revelation: Angela is betrothed to the narrator's gondolier brother, not out of malice, but because she views the narrator's affection as a form of pity. The collection then shifts to Anthony Trollope's "The Parson's Daughter of Oxney Colne," which depicts the stubborn farmer Anthony Garstin. Despite his mother's disapproval and the girl's own longing for city life, Anthony relentlessly pursues Rosa Blencarn. His courtship becomes a subject of local gossip and ridicule, highlighting the isolation of rural life and the difficulty of overcoming class and familial barriers. Hubert Crackanthorpe's "Anthony Garstin's Courtship" offers a contrasting, tumultuous tale of a poet and Winifred. Their relationship is defined by her volatile nature and repeated delays in their planned elopement, often excused by her husband's illnesses. Ultimately, Winifred dies of illness, leaving the poet to question his capacity for love and respect, as he realizes he never truly loved her. George Egerton's "A Little Grey Glove" and Israel Zangwill's "The Woman Beater" further dissect the consequences of passion versus duty. In Zangwill's story, a poet's romantic idealism is shattered when he discovers his beloved was beaten by her husband; upon learning the truth, he violently strikes her, transforming from a romantic suitor into a "woman beater." Together, these stories weave a rich tapestry of Victorian romance, illustrating the tragic costs of societal expectations and the complex, often destructive nature of human relationships.

LLM editorial rating

4.2/5

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Categories

• Short Stories
• Courtship