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Famous Affinities of History: The Romance of Devotion. Volume 1

by Lyndon Orr

  • Free to read
  • 2 hours to read
  • 8 chapters
  • Reading level: 8th & 9th grade

"Famous Affinities of History: The Romance of Devotion. Volume 1" by Lyndon Orr is a historical account likely written in the late 19th century. The book examines various historical love stories, focusing on iconic romantic figures and their intricate relationships that have shaped their respective destinies. The opening chapters center on the famous affair between Antony and Cleopatra, illustrating how their love transcended the boundaries of personal desires and political ambitions, ultimately leading to their tragic downfalls. The beginning of the text sets the stage for exploring the depths of love, devotion, and the sacrifices made by both Antony and Cleopatra in their pursuit of each other. It recounts how Antony, the Roman triumvir, forsook everything, including power and military success, in favor of Cleopatra, the Egyptian queen. The narrative elaborates on the allure of Cleopatra, emphasizing her extraordinary charm and the vibrant cultural backdrop of ancient Alexandria. This tale of passionate love intertwined with political consequence is just the first of many explored in Orr's work, inviting readers to reflect on how love can be both a powerful force for connection and a catalyst for ruin throughout history.

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  • Biography
  • Love
  • Women · Biography

Read the opening

Abelard and Heloise

Many a woman, amid the transports of passionate and languishing love, has cried out in a sort of ecstasy:

"I love you as no woman ever loved a man before!"

When she says this she believes it. Her whole soul is aflame with the ardor of emotion. It really seems to her that no one ever could have loved so much as she.

This cry—spontaneous, untaught, sincere—has become almost one of those conventionalities of amorous expression which belong to the vocabulary of self-abandonment. Every woman who utters it, when torn by the almost terrible extravagance of a great love, believes that no one before her has ever said it, and that in her own case it is absolutely true.

Yet, how many women are really faithful to the end? Very many, indeed, if circumstances admit of easy faithfulness. A high-souled, generous, ardent nature will endure an infinity of disillusionment, of misfortune, of neglect, and even of ill treatment. Even so, the flame, though it may sink low, can be revived again to burn as brightly as before. But in order that this may be so it is necessary that the object of such a wonderful devotion be alive, that he be present and visible; or, if he be absent, that there should still exist some hope of renewing the exquisite intimacy of the past.

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Contents

  1. Front Matter
  2. Abelard and Heloise
  3. Queen Elizabeth and the Earl of Leicester
  4. Mary Queen of Scots and Lord Bothwell
  5. Queen Christina of Sweden and the Marquis Monaldeschi
  6. King Charles Ii. And Nell Gwyn
  7. Maurice of Saxony and Adrienne Lecouvreur
  8. The Story of Prince Charles Edward Stuart

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About this edition

This free edition of Famous Affinities of History: The Romance of Devotion. Volume 1 by Lyndon Orr comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #4689, released 2003-11-01. 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: Romance, History - Other, History - Ancient.

Summary provided by Project Gutenberg (automatically generated).

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