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The Sleeping Beauty
by C. S. (Charles Seddon) Evans
- Language
- EN
- Format
- EPUB
- Size
- 977 KB
Description
Set in a medieval kingdom during the early 20th century, this adaptation of the traditional fairy tale recounts the story of a princess named Briar-Rose. The narrative follows her life from infancy, marked by her parents’ joy at her birth and the blessings received at her christening from twelve fairy godmothers. The plot centres on her fifteenth birthday, when a spiteful fairy curses her to fall into a deep sleep, a fate that is ultimately broken by a prince’s love. The story explores themes of destiny, kindness, and the contrast between happiness and sorrow within a classic fairy tale framework.
The book is formatted as an illustrated story aimed at children and young adults. It is part of the early 20th-century tradition of adapting traditional fairy tales for juvenile reading, combining moral lessons with enchanting imagery. The narrative maintains a straightforward, moral tone typical of children's literature from the period, focusing on the characters' experiences and the lessons to be learned from their circumstances.
The book is formatted as an illustrated story aimed at children and young adults. It is part of the early 20th-century tradition of adapting traditional fairy tales for juvenile reading, combining moral lessons with enchanting imagery. The narrative maintains a straightforward, moral tone typical of children's literature from the period, focusing on the characters' experiences and the lessons to be learned from their circumstances.
From the opening pages
look at the King and sigh, and they were both very miserable about it. Then they would put on their golden crowns and sit side by side on their thrones, while lords and ladies and ambassadors from other lands came to pay them homage, and they had to smile with their lips for the sake of politeness, but there was no joy in their hearts. And that is one of the greatest disadvantages of being a King or a Queen, that one has always to hide one's feelings. Now it happened one day that the Queen went to her bath, and having dismissed her ladies, she descended the marble steps into the water and began idly to play with some wild rose-petals which had fallen into the water. All of a sudden she heard a croaking voice that said: "O Queen, be cheerful, for the dearest wish of your heart will be granted you." "Who is that?" cried the Queen, a little frightened, for she could see nobody. "Look behind you," croaked the voice, "and do not be afraid, for I come only to bear you good tidings." So the Queen looked behind her, and there was a great frog who looked at her with its big round eyes. Now the Queen was afraid of frogs, because they are cold and clammy, but she was very polite by nature as well as breeding, so she did not show her dislike, though she could not help shrinking back a little. "And do you tell me, Master Frog," said she, "that I shall have the wish of my heart, and do you know what that wish may be?" "It is to have a little small child of your own," said the Frog; and the Queen nodded. "Very well," the Frog went on, "do you see the green leaves of that almond tree on the branch by the window?" "I do," replied the Queen wonderingly. "Those green leaves will fade," said the Frog, "and the winter winds will blow them away. Then the branch will be bare, but in spring-time, before the leaves come again, it will be covered with pink blossom, and that blossom you shall show to a baby lying at your breast." The Queen gave a cry of joy. A ray of sunlight came through the trees, dazzling her eyes so that she had to close them for a moment.…
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