Public-domain ebook
The Cloister and the Hearth: A Tale of the Middle Ages
Language: en1,018 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
In: Historical Novels·Novels·British Literature
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #38895.
About this book
The Cloister and the Hearth is a historical‑fiction romance set in the mid‑fifteenth‑century Netherlands, where the reign of Philip “the Good” provides a backdrop for the lives of Elias and Catherine, a cloth‑trading couple, and their many children. The opening pages frame the narrative as a blend of fact and invention, with the author explicitly noting that a fifth of the work is a reprint of a chronicle and the remainder a new composition. It begins by reflecting on the limits of dry historical records and the need for a novelist to flesh out “obscure heroes,” then launches into a vivid domestic scene: a bustling family table, the anxiety of a growing brood, and the departure of the eldest son Richart to Amsterdam. Through these details the novel promises a tapestry of everyday concerns, trade, inheritance, love, and loss, woven into the larger currents of medieval Europe.
The prose is deliberately archaic, echoing the cadence of 19th‑century romantic writers while retaining a scholarly tone that references Latin chronicles and medieval customs. Its narrative voice is both reflective and intimate, offering occasional philosophical asides alongside dialogue that captures the speech patterns of the period. Readers who enjoy richly detailed settings, layered family dynamics, and a romance that unfolds against a meticulously rendered medieval world will find this work rewarding. Those with a taste for historical imagination that respects source material, without demanding fast‑paced plot twists, are likely to appreciate its measured pace and lyrical description.
Characters in The Cloister and the Hearth
- EliasMiddle‑aged Dutch merchant, dark beard, woolen doublet, leather boots, modest hat
- CatherineWoman in modest 15th‑century gown, linen coif, simple veil, gentle expression
- RichartYoung Dutch man, short hair, travel cloak, sturdy boots, determined gaze
The opening · free to read
A SMALL portion of this tale appeared in Once a Week, July--September, 1859, under the title of "A Good Fight."
After writing it, I took wider views of the subject, and also felt uneasy at having deviated unnecessarily from the historical outline of a true story. These two sentiments have cost me more than a year's very hard labour, which I venture to think has not been wasted. After this plain statement I trust all who comment on this work will see that, to describe it as a reprint, would be unfair to the public and to me. The English language is copious and, in any true man's hands, quite able to convey the truth; namely, that one fifth of the present work is a reprint, and four fifths of it a new composition.
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