| Author |
MacDonald, George, 1824-1905 |
| Title |
The Portent and Other Stories
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| Note |
Reading ease score: 76.6 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.
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| Contents |
The portent -- The cruel painter -- The castle -- The wow o' rivven -- The broken swords -- The gray wolf -- Uncle Cornelius his story.
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| Credits |
Text file produced by Jonathan Ingram, Sandra Brown and the DP Team
HTML file produced by David Widger
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| Summary |
"The Portent and Other Stories" by George MacDonald is a collection of short stories written in the mid-19th century. The overarching narrative, "The Portent," explores themes of inner vision and the Highland belief in second sight, following the life of a young man named Duncan, who grapples with his unique gifts and their implications. As the story unfolds, it hints at a blend of romance, the supernatural, and human nature, particularly as Duncan navigates his relationships and the mysterious phenomena surrounding him. The opening of the book introduces us to Duncan's boyhood in the rugged Scottish Highlands, emphasizing his deep connection to the landscape and his peculiar sensitivity to sounds that others cannot perceive. The narrative reflects on his solitary adventures on a hill that he regards as a kingdom of his own. A sense of foreboding is established through his experiences with second sight and unsettling auditory phenomena. As Duncan grows older, he encounters his old nurse, who possesses second sight, and reveals an ominous connection between the sounds he hears and impending misfortunes. The opening chapters set a tone of introspection and anticipation, hinting at the unfolding drama of Duncan's life as he confronts both his extraordinary abilities and the darker forces at play around him. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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| Language |
English |
| LoC Class |
PR: Language and Literatures: English literature
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| Subject |
Short stories
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| Subject |
Highlands (Scotland) -- Fiction
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| Category |
Text |
| EBook-No. |
8913 |
| Release Date |
Sep 1, 2005 |
| Most Recently Updated |
Feb 25, 2021 |
| Copyright Status |
Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads |
205 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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