Frances Hodgson Burnett
Paperback | Pages: 148 pages Rating: 3.5 | 184 Users | 34 Reviews
Describe Books Concering A Fair Barbarian
| Original Title: | A Fair Barbarian |
| ISBN: | 1406553425 (ISBN13: 9781406553420) |
| Edition Language: | English |
Rendition To Books A Fair Barbarian
A young, beautiful American heiress descends upon a tiny sleepy English town. Burnett loves gender and class stereotypes; there is nothing she likes more than to write about a lady's delicate features or a man's strong arms, and certainly every member of the lower classes is flatteringly awed by their betters. Nevertheless, the American Octavia Bassett manages to upset the usual mode just a little--when she is asked to marry a handsome, well-bred and rich Englishman, she refuses with composure. I love the scene:'"You don't want _me_," she said. "You want somebody meeker,--somebody who would respect you very much, and obey you. I'm not used to obeying people."
"Do you mean also that you would not respect me?" he inquired bitterly.
"Oh," she replied, "you haven't respected me much!"
"Excuse me"--he began, in his loftiest manner.
"You didn't respect me enough to think me worth marrying," she said. "I was not the kind of girl you would have chosen of your own will."
"You are treating me unfairly!" he cried.
"You were going to give me a great deal, I suppose--looking at it in your way," she went on; "but, if I _wasn't_ exactly what you wanted, I had something to give too. I'm young enough to have a good many years to live; and I should have to live them with you, if I married you. That's something, you know."
He rose from his seat pale with wrath and wounded feeling.
"Does this mean that you refuse me?" he demanded, "that your answer is'no'?"
She rose, too--not exultant, not confused, neither pale nor flushed. He had never seen her prettier, more charming, or more natural.
"It would have been 'no,' even if there hadn't been any obstacle," she answered.
"Then," he said, "I need say no more. I see that I have--humiliated myself in vain; and it is rather bitter, I must confess."
"It wasn't my fault," she remarked.'
I love her! There's nothing more refreshing than someone who is aware of the values of her peers, but recognizes their limitations and that they are important only in relative terms. The plot of My Fair Barbarian is not complex or surprising, but it is short and sweet. It is also a good showcase for Burnett's ability at writing Victorian literature that lacks a surprising number of the usual pitfalls of that era--the sentences contain only a few clauses each, the dialog is impressively natural, and the characters are personalities of their own, rather than archetypes acting out a morality pagant.
Identify Of Books A Fair Barbarian
| Title | : | A Fair Barbarian |
| Author | : | Frances Hodgson Burnett |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | Special Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 148 pages |
| Published | : | August 1st 2007 by Dodo Press (first published 1880) |
| Categories | : | Classics. Fiction. Romance. Historical. Historical Fiction |
Rating Of Books A Fair Barbarian
Ratings: 3.5 From 184 Users | 34 ReviewsCriticism Of Books A Fair Barbarian
:) So much fun! It reminded me of L.M. Montgomery's writing in some ways.What a delightful read!!!
This early novel of Burnett's is short and sweet. I liked it more than I thought I would.
I love its theme; an American girl Octavia brings freshness to a dull, conservative English town and challenges its hierarchy. Gradually, the American and the British begin to accept the cultural differences and work toward mutual understanding.
A novel about a young American woman who comes to visit her aunt in England, and the effect her unrefined candor has on the conservative inhabitants of the town. 1880.Frances Hodgson Burnett's books seem to have a way of drawing me in very quickly, before I can even give a thought to what the book might be about. It was that way with A Lady of Quality (known under several different titles) and The Shuttle, although I have yet to finish reading the latter. A Fair Barbarian gets the action of the
For anyone with the patience for Burnett's Victorian language, A Fair Barbarian is a charming read. Hidden under the layers of wardrobe lies a biting social commentary. More than a comedy of manners, Burnett wrote a scathing mockery of conformity and social control. It draws a bit from Jane Austen and foreshadows Cold Comfort Farm. One online reviewer called it a simplified retelling of Henry James' "Daisy Miller," but I can't speak to that because I haven't read it. Burnett's fair barbarian is
A young, beautiful American heiress descends upon a tiny sleepy English town. Burnett loves gender and class stereotypes; there is nothing she likes more than to write about a lady's delicate features or a man's strong arms, and certainly every member of the lower classes is flatteringly awed by their betters. Nevertheless, the American Octavia Bassett manages to upset the usual mode just a little--when she is asked to marry a handsome, well-bred and rich Englishman, she refuses with composure.
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