The cloister and the hearth : a tale of the Middle Ages / by Charles Reade.

New York : Modern Library, [date of publication not identified]

913 pages ; 19 cm.

BEIN 2018 6737: Imperfect: Portraits of Frans Snyders and Margareta Snyders pasted on inside front and back covers; spine broken between last page and back cover. Autograph: Samuel R. Delany, New York 1976. Price sticker on insided front cover: $1.49. Manuscript notes of Samuel R. Delany. From the library of Samuel R. Delany.

A picaresque historical novel by Charles Reade, published in 1861 and set in late medieval Holland and Europe. The novel focuses on the story of a young scribe and illuminator named Gerard Eliason and his love for Margaret Brandt, daughter of a poor scholar. Interacting with them is a cast of vividly drawn characters and various historical personages. The overarching theme through all of their adventures is the conflict between man's obligations to family and to Church. Long considered a literary classic, it has been critically acclaimed as one of the greatest historical novels in English. Reade affected a medieval writing style and used much archaic language even for his nineteenth century readers.

English

August 06, 2020

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