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Victorian Short Stories: Stories of Courtship

by W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911)

  • Free to read
  • 2 hours to read
  • 14 chapters
  • Reading level: 7th grade

"Victorian Short Stories: Stories of Courtship" by W. S. Gilbert et al. is a collection of romantic tales written in the late 19th century. This anthology explores various aspects of courtship, featuring characters from different walks of life navigating the intricacies of love and social expectations. The stories highlight the trials and tribulations faced by the protagonists as they grapple with their feelings, societal norms, and personal dilemmas. The opening of the collection introduces "Angela: An Inverted Love Story" by William Schwenk Gilbert. It centers around a paralyzed man who spends years observing a young woman named Angela from his window in Venice, developing a romantic connection through inverted reflections in the canal below. Their relationship unfolds through a playful exchange of flowers, symbolizing a budding yet innocent courtship. However, the story takes a poignant turn when the man learns that Angela is engaged to her brother, ultimately revealing that his feelings were reciprocated in a context of sympathy rather than romantic love. This setup not only sets the tone for the romantic theme of the collection but also foreshadows the complexities of love and longing that are present in courtship narratives.

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  • Short stories
  • Courtship

Read the opening

Chapter I

A stampede of huddled sheep, wildly scampering over the slaty shingle, emerged from the leaden mist that muffled the fell-top, and a shrill shepherd's whistle broke the damp stillness of the air. And presently a man's figure appeared, following the sheep down the hillside. He halted a moment to whistle curtly to his two dogs, who, laying back their ears, chased the sheep at top speed beyond the brow; then, his hands deep in his pockets, he strode vigorously forward. A streak of white smoke from a toiling train was creeping silently across the distance: the great, grey, desolate undulations of treeless country showed no other sign of life.

The sheep hurried in single file along a tiny track worn threadbare amid the brown, lumpy grass: and, as the man came round the mountain's shoulder, a narrow valley opened out beneath him—a scanty patchwork of green fields, and, here and there, a whitewashed farm, flanked by a dark cluster of sheltering trees.

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Contents

  1. Front Matter
  2. Chapter I
  3. Chapter II
  4. Chapter III
  5. Chapter IV
  6. Chapter V
  7. Chapter VI
  8. Chapter VII
  9. Chapter I
  10. Chapter II
  11. Chapter III
  12. Chapter IV
  13. Chapter V
  14. Chapter VI

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About this edition

This free edition of Victorian Short Stories: Stories of Courtship by W. S. Gilbert comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #15381, released 2005-03-16. 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: Short Stories, Romance, British Literature.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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