Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.
Arlo Bates (December 16, 1850 – August 25, 1918) was an American author, educator and newspaperman.
Arlo Bates was born at East Machias, Maine. He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1876. In 1880 Bates became the editor of the Boston Sunday Courier (1880–1893) and afterward became professor of English at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1900.
3Ms online pdf: http://www.unz.org/Pub/BatesArlo-1890 through boston-victorian eyes, a germanic romance knights and grooms and castles and horses and fairyfolk
THE MEMORY OF MY FATHER, NIRAN BATES, AND OF MY MOTHER, SUSAN THAXTER BATES
Juicy, enticing opening here:
WARNING: totally overwritten; happily quick in the reading! There was an audio option attatched to my online read, however it was the Voice Of Sam* and automated voices sound just that: automated.
Also, you could get by just reading the chapter titles if the flowery prose and/or voice of Sam prove to much to bear: looksee here:
I. How One Went 11 II. How One Came 25 III. How the Knight Sang 33 IV. How He Remained to Woo 44 V. How They Discoursed of Kisses 56 VI. How They Came to Kisses Themselves 66 VII. How the Time Wore to the Wedding Day 75 VIII. Of the Eve before the Wedding 83 IX. Of the Wedding Morning 93 X. How They Were Wed 101 XI. How Albrecht Confessed 113 XII. How the Morgengabe Was Bestowed 125 XIII. How the Days Sped at Rittenberg 134 XIV. How the Priest Became Troubled 144 XV. How Count Stephen Returned 154 XVI. How the Count Talked and Sang 162 XVII. How They Hunted the Stag 172 XVIII. How Herr von Zimmern Came again 181 XIX. How Erna and Albrecht Talked of Life 191 XX. How They Rode to Fly the Falcon 198 XXI. How Albrecht and Herr Frederich Talked in the Wood 211 XXII. How Albrecht Rode Home 225 XXIII. How Erna Suffered 234 XXIV. How Count Stephen Met Herr Frederich 242 XXV. How Father Christopher Sent for Albrecht 252 XXVI. How Albrecht and Erna Forgave Each Other 258
* VOICE OF SAM - in the days or yore, when Atari ruled the waves (HUZZAH), the first automated interactive programme was called SAM. Yes, I am that old!
Incredibly florid, cod-medieval paranormal romance from the gilded age. Despite tedious moralising and terrible overwriting, I found this oddly compelling and fun to read. I could really see Chris Hemsworth hamming it up as secret wood-god Albrecht, this is pretty much an early version of his superhero roles, although the pious innocent love-interest Erna would need an update to appeal to modern audiences.
It’s odd to think that Bates became a professor of English at MIT and an esteemed fellow of the AAS for writing something ( badly ) that now would be the pulpiest fiction.