Beulah: A Novel (Classic Reprint) - Softcover
Excerpt from Beulah: A Novel
A January sun had passed the zenith, and the slanting rays flamed over the window panes of a large brick building, bearing on its front in golden letters the inscription, "Orphan Asylum." The structure was commodious, and surrounded by wide galleries, while the situation offered a silent tribute to the discretion and good sense of the board of managers. The front door was closed, but upon the broad granite steps, where the sunlight lay warm and tempting, sat a trio of the inmates. In the foreground was a slight, fairy form, "a wee, winsome thing," with coral lips, and large, soft blue eyes, set in a frame of short, clustering golden curls. She looked about six years old, and was clad, like her companions, in canary-colored flannel dress and blue-check apron. Lillian was the pet of the asylum, and now her rosy cheek rested upon her tiny white palm, as though she wearied of the picture book which lay at her feet. The figure beside her was one whose marvelous beauty riveted the gaze of all who chanced to see her. The child could have been but a few months older than Lillian, yet the brilliant black eyes, the peculiar curve of the dimpled mouth, and long, dark ringlets gave to the oval face a maturer and more piquant loveliness. The cast of Claudia's countenance bespoke her foreign parentage, and told of the warm, fierce Italian blood that glowed in her cheeks. On the upper step, in the rear of these two, sat a girl whose age could not have been very accurately guessed from her countenance. At a first, casual glance, one thought Beulah rather homely, nay, decidedly ugly; yet, to the curious physiognomist, this face presented greater attractions than either of the others. A pair of large gray eyes set beneath an overhanging forehead, a boldly projecting forehead, broad and smooth; a rather large, but finely cut mouth, an irreproachable nose, of the order farthest removed from aquiline, and heavy, black eyebrows, which, instead of arch...
A January sun had passed the zenith, and the slanting rays flamed over the window panes of a large brick building, bearing on its front in golden letters the inscription, "Orphan Asylum." The structure was commodious, and surrounded by wide galleries, while the situation offered a silent tribute to the discretion and good sense of the board of managers. The front door was closed, but upon the broad granite steps, where the sunlight lay warm and tempting, sat a trio of the inmates. In the foreground was a slight, fairy form, "a wee, winsome thing," with coral lips, and large, soft blue eyes, set in a frame of short, clustering golden curls. She looked about six years old, and was clad, like her companions, in canary-colored flannel dress and blue-check apron. Lillian was the pet of the asylum, and now her rosy cheek rested upon her tiny white palm, as though she wearied of the picture book which lay at her feet. The figure beside her was one whose marvelous beauty riveted the gaze of all who chanced to see her. The child could have been but a few months older than Lillian, yet the brilliant black eyes, the peculiar curve of the dimpled mouth, and long, dark ringlets gave to the oval face a maturer and more piquant loveliness. The cast of Claudia's countenance bespoke her foreign parentage, and told of the warm, fierce Italian blood that glowed in her cheeks. On the upper step, in the rear of these two, sat a girl whose age could not have been very accurately guessed from her countenance. At a first, casual glance, one thought Beulah rather homely, nay, decidedly ugly; yet, to the curious physiognomist, this face presented greater attractions than either of the others. A pair of large gray eyes set beneath an overhanging forehead, a boldly projecting forehead, broad and smooth; a rather large, but finely cut mouth, an irreproachable nose, of the order farthest removed from aquiline, and heavy, black eyebrows, which, instead of arch...
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author:
From Publishers Weekly:
Elizabeth Fox-Genovese is the Eleonore Raoul Professor of the Humanities and director of the Institute for Women's Studies at Emory University. She is the author of many books, including Within the Plantation Household: Black and White Women of the Old South and Feminism and Its Illusions: A Critique of Individualism.
Beulah Benton, the protagonist of this reissued novel of the antebellum South, is plucky, feminist, intellectual--but given to convoluted philosophical musings and, ultimately, acquiescent to women's traditional roles. In the formal, sometimes overwrought language of the period, Evans takes the orphaned Beulah from her trouble-ridden childhood through her stormy young womanhood. Despite the many poignant events--including the death of Beulah's young sister and the social ostracism she faces as an orphan--Evans's energetic and direct style achieves sincerity of feeling more often than melodrama. Beulah's lot begins to improve when Guy Hartwell, the doctor who tends her in a serious illness, becomes her guardian. Although she vows to remain unmarried and earn her living as an author and teacher, Beulah ultimately realizes what the reader has known for some time--that Guy is in love with her and she with him. Her transition from independent female to little woman is strained and abrupt, yet, for its time, the novel is remarkable for the seriousness with which it takes women's intellectual pursuits and the dignity it gives to the single life. Fox-Genovese wrote Within the Plantation Household.
Copyright 1992 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherForgotten Books
- Publication date2024
- ISBN 10 1451006470
- ISBN 13 9781451006476
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages192
- Rating
Buy New
Learn more about this copy
US$ 17.69
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
Beulah A Novel Classic Reprint
Seller:
Rating
Book Description PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # LX-9781451006476
Buy New
US$ 17.69
Convert currency
Beulah: A Novel (Classic Reprint)
Published by
Forgotten Books
(2024)
ISBN 10: 1451006470
ISBN 13: 9781451006476
New
Paperback
Quantity: > 20
Seller:
Rating
Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. Print on Demand. Excerpt from Beulah. About the Publisher, Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works. This text has been digitally restored from a historical edition. Some errors may persist, however we consider it worth publishing due to the work's historical value. The digital edition of all books may be viewed on our website before purchase. print-on-demand item. Seller Inventory # 9781451006476_0
Buy New
US$ 16.85
Convert currency
Stock Image
Beulah A Novel Classic Reprint
Seller:
Rating
Book Description PAP. Condition: New. New Book. Shipped from UK. Established seller since 2000. Seller Inventory # LX-9781451006476
Buy New
US$ 14.75
Convert currency