Cover of Pink and White Tyranny

Pink and White Tyranny

  • Free to read
  • 5 hours to read
  • 31 chapters
  • Reading level: 7th grade

"Pink and White Tyranny" by Harriet Beecher Stowe is a society novel written during the late 19th century. The story revolves around the lives and relationships of a select circle of characters, particularly focusing on John Seymour and his engagement to Lillie Ellis, famed for her beauty and social charm. The narrative promises to explore themes of societal expectation, personal aspirations, and the complex dynamics of love and marriage. The opening of the novel introduces John Seymour, an earnest and respectable man, who is enchanted by the captivating Lillie Ellis. As he gazes at her, drawn to her ethereal beauty, John grapples with his insecurities and romantic ideals. Meanwhile, Lillie, a renowned belle, is presented as a shallow character whose interests lie predominantly in fashion and social status. As the narrative progresses, the reader learns of John's infatuation with Lillie and his hope that she will adapt to the domestic life he envisions for them. However, it becomes evident that their intentions diverge sharply; John seeks a sensible and beneficial partnership, while Lillie seems more inclined towards a life of luxury and superficiality. The contrast establishes a foundation for tension and exploration of character motivations in the unfolding story.

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  • New England
  • Married people

Read the opening

Chapter I: Falling in Love

“WHO is that beautiful creature?” said John Seymour, as a light, sylph-like form tripped up the steps of the veranda of the hotel where he was lounging away his summer vacation.

“That! Why, don’t you know, man? That is the celebrated, the divine Lillie Ellis, the most adroit ‘fisher of men’ that has been seen in our days.”

“By George, but she’s pretty, though!” said John, following with enchanted eyes the distant motions of the sylphide.

The vision that he saw was of a delicate little fairy form; a complexion of pearly white, with a cheek of the hue of a pink shell; a fair, sweet, infantine face surrounded by a fleecy radiance of soft golden hair. The vision appeared to float in some white gauzy robes; and, when she spoke or smiled, what an innocent, fresh, untouched, unspoiled look there was upon the face! John gazed, and thought of all sorts of poetical similes: of a “daisy just wet with morning dew;” of a “violet by a mossy stone;” in short, of all the things that poets have made and provided for the use of young gentlemen in the way of falling in love.

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Contents

Show all 31 chapters
  1. Front Matter
  2. Preface
  3. Chapter I: Falling in Love
  4. Chapter II: What She Thinks of It
  5. Chapter III: The Sister
  6. Chapter IV: Preparation for Marriage
  7. Chapter V: Wedding, and Wedding-Trip
  8. Chapter VI: Honey-Moon, and After
  9. Chapter VII: Will She Like It?
  10. Chapter VIII: Spindlewood
  11. Chapter IX: A Crisis
  12. Chapter X: Changes
  13. Chapter XI: Newport; or, the Paradise of Nothing to Do
  14. Chapter XII: Home À La Pompadour
  15. Chapter XIII: John’s Birthday
  16. Chapter XIV: A Great Moral Conflict
  17. Chapter XV: The Follingsbees Arrive
  18. Chapter XVI: Mrs. John Seymour’s Party, and What Came of It
  19. Chapter XVII: After the Battle
  20. Chapter XVIII: A Brick Turns Up
  21. Chapter XIX: The Castle of Indolence
  22. Chapter XX: The Van Astrachans
  23. Chapter XXI: Mrs. Follingsbee’s Party, and What Came of It
  24. Chapter XXII: The Spider-Web Broken
  25. Chapter XXIII: Common-Sense Arguments
  26. Chapter XXIV: Sentiment V. Sensibility
  27. Chapter XXV: Wedding Bells
  28. Chapter XXVI: Motherhood
  29. Chapter XXVII: Checkmate
  30. Chapter XXVIII: After the Storm
  31. Chapter XXIX: The New Lillie

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About this edition

This free edition of Pink and White Tyranny by Harriet Beecher Stowe comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #12354, released 2004-05-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Novels, American Literature.

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