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The Blue Firedrake: or, the Wonderful and Strange Relation of the Life and Adventures of Nathan Souldrop
THE BLUE FIREDRAKE, Or The Wonderful And Strange Relation Of The Life And Adventures Of Nathan Souldrop: Showing How He Was Forspoken By That Terrible Sorceress Elinor Shaw, The Which For Her Various And Abominable Crimes Was Brought To Tryal At Northampton In The Year 1705; Together With Particulars Of Her Amazing Pranks And Remarkable Actions Both Before And After Her Apprehension, The Like Never Before Heard Of: Written By Himselfe And Now Set Forth by Thomas Wright, Principal of Cowper School, Olney .
A tale of black magic and witchcraft in early eighteenth-century Northamptonshire, loosely based on the story of Elinor Shaw, the last person burnt in England for the practice of witchcraft. The narrator is the victim of mesmerism and hallucinatory horrors, one of which is a gigantic blue dragon that materializes in the air.
A tale of black magic and witchcraft in early eighteenth-century Northamptonshire, loosely based on the story of Elinor Shaw, the last person burnt in England for the practice of witchcraft. The narrator is the victim of mesmerism and hallucinatory horrors, one of which is a gigantic blue dragon that materializes in the air.
296 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1892
7 people want to read
About the author
Thomas Wright
1,202 books17 followersThomas Wright was an English antiquarian and writer. Wright was born near Ludlow, Shropshire, descended from a Quaker family formerly living at Bradford. He was educated at Ludlow Grammar School and at Trinity College, Cambridge, whence he graduated in 1834.
While at Cambridge he contributed to the Gentleman's Magazine and other periodicals, and in 1835 he came to London to devote himself to a literary career.
His first separate work was Early English Poetry in Black Letter, with Prefaces and Notes (1836, 4 vols. 12mo), which was followed during the next forty years by an extensive series of publications, many of lasting value. He helped to found the British Archaeological Association and the Percy, Camden and Shakespeare Societies. In 1842 he was elected corresponding member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres of Paris, and was a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries as well as member of many other learned British and foreign bodies.
In 1859 he superintended the excavations of the Roman town of Viroconium Cornoviorum (Wroxeter), near Shrewsbury, and issued a report.
A portrait of him is in the Drawing Room Portrait Gallery for 1 October 1859.
He was a great scholar, but will be chiefly remembered as an industrious antiquary and the editor of many relics of the Middle Ages.
While at Cambridge he contributed to the Gentleman's Magazine and other periodicals, and in 1835 he came to London to devote himself to a literary career.
His first separate work was Early English Poetry in Black Letter, with Prefaces and Notes (1836, 4 vols. 12mo), which was followed during the next forty years by an extensive series of publications, many of lasting value. He helped to found the British Archaeological Association and the Percy, Camden and Shakespeare Societies. In 1842 he was elected corresponding member of the Académie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres of Paris, and was a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries as well as member of many other learned British and foreign bodies.
In 1859 he superintended the excavations of the Roman town of Viroconium Cornoviorum (Wroxeter), near Shrewsbury, and issued a report.
A portrait of him is in the Drawing Room Portrait Gallery for 1 October 1859.
He was a great scholar, but will be chiefly remembered as an industrious antiquary and the editor of many relics of the Middle Ages.
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June 12, 2018
The narrative of ‘The Blue Firedrake’ revolves around the nefarious actions of Elinor Shaw, an historical figure, being the last woman in England to be burned alive for the practice of witchcraft. Her tale is dramatized by Wright as the memoir of the fictional Nathan Souldrop, a vain and self-important young gentleman who is hopelessly smitten by Shaw’s daughter, Thana.
As a story ‘The Blue Firedrake’ is somewhat wanting by our 21st century standards, being more of a moralistic parable, although Wright is not without some dramatist’s talent. He warns in his prologue that “in a story of this kind, as may be expected, certain portions are necessarily of a somewhat creepy nature”, and he does in fact include several scenes that are reminiscent of other early tales of terror, with perhaps Edgar Allen Poe being a too-flattering analogy. The scene when the fiery eyes of the witch Elinor Shaw appear in the darkness at the foot of Nathan’s bed, prompting him to discharge the pistol he has taken to keeping at his side at all times, is one such instance.
But ‘The Blue Firedrake’ is, I think, more important as an artifact of contemporary folklore. Wright mentions in his preface that he “endeavoured to illustrate the popular superstitions of Northamptonshire in or about 1700”. That he himself was writing from a perspective some 180 years after the fact is made less significant by the 125+ years separating us, the modern readers, from him. Like other folklorists, Wright has assembled both oral and written traditions from his own era that have their foundations in prior generations. What ensues then is a tale that purports to depict “the principal traditional incidents of [Elinor Shaw’s] life, and all the authenticated ones”, but reads like a compendium of Victorian superstitions regarding witchcraft, from the mischievous to the murderous.
For more book reviews check out my website! http://thelostway.ca/category/book-re...
As a story ‘The Blue Firedrake’ is somewhat wanting by our 21st century standards, being more of a moralistic parable, although Wright is not without some dramatist’s talent. He warns in his prologue that “in a story of this kind, as may be expected, certain portions are necessarily of a somewhat creepy nature”, and he does in fact include several scenes that are reminiscent of other early tales of terror, with perhaps Edgar Allen Poe being a too-flattering analogy. The scene when the fiery eyes of the witch Elinor Shaw appear in the darkness at the foot of Nathan’s bed, prompting him to discharge the pistol he has taken to keeping at his side at all times, is one such instance.
But ‘The Blue Firedrake’ is, I think, more important as an artifact of contemporary folklore. Wright mentions in his preface that he “endeavoured to illustrate the popular superstitions of Northamptonshire in or about 1700”. That he himself was writing from a perspective some 180 years after the fact is made less significant by the 125+ years separating us, the modern readers, from him. Like other folklorists, Wright has assembled both oral and written traditions from his own era that have their foundations in prior generations. What ensues then is a tale that purports to depict “the principal traditional incidents of [Elinor Shaw’s] life, and all the authenticated ones”, but reads like a compendium of Victorian superstitions regarding witchcraft, from the mischievous to the murderous.
For more book reviews check out my website! http://thelostway.ca/category/book-re...
Displaying 1 of 1 review