The Golden Threshold

Naidu, Sarojini, 1879-1949Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.0

Word count: 46K words
Chapters: 5

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.The Golden Threshold by Sarojini NaiduAuthor: Naidu, Sarojini, 1879-1949,Language: English, Class: PK: Language and Literatures: Indo-Iranian literatures, Release Date: Oct 1, 1996

Editor's review

The Golden Threshold is an early English poetry collection by the Indian poet Sarojini Naidu, gathering several groups of works written as short lyric poems. Naidu's verse is highly musical with clear imagery, offering delicate songs of love, youth, and nature while also incorporating colors of Indian folk life and religious legend, giving it a distinctive place in early twentieth-century Indian English literature. Her writing brings Indian subjects into the traditional forms of English poetry; the language is not obscure and the poems are short, suitable for reading in fragments. For readers interested in postcolonial English literature, South Asian literature, or the history of English poetry, this collection is a convenient entry point for understanding the early face of Indian English poetry. As a public-domain e-book, it is also convenient for searching and excerpting poem by poem. Reading aloud is recommended to appreciate its rhythm and cadence, and attention may be paid to the tension between Indian imagery and English poetic meter.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers interested in Indian English literature and South Asian poetry
Recitation enthusiasts and English learners needing short English poems
Teachers and students studying postcolonial literature or the history of English poetry

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer long narratives or plot-driven reading
Beginners hoping for detailed annotations and poem-by-poem analysis
People uninterested in poetic form who only seek light entertainment

Reading tips

Read two or three poems a day, aloud, to feel the rhythm and sound of the lines.
Read in thematic groups, noting the distribution of three types of imagery: love, nature, and Indian folk legend.
After finishing, choose a favorite poem to translate or imitate to deepen understanding of its form.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

What is Sarojini Naidu's background as a poet?

According to the information, she lived from 1879 to 1949 and was one of the early representative figures of Indian English poetry. The Golden Threshold is one of her earlier published collections, written in English and dealing largely with lyric themes, nature, and Indian folk life. Her work is often discussed in the context of the rise of Indian English literature and the awakening of national consciousness.

Is this collection suitable for English learning?

It is fairly suitable for readers with some English foundation. The vocabulary is literary and the syntax rhythmically crafted rather than everyday colloquial, but individual poems are short and easy to study repeatedly. English learners can use it as material for developing poetic sense and expanding vocabulary, but it is not ideal as an introductory textbook; it is best read with a dictionary and background information.

Does the book include annotations or an introduction?

According to the information, this is a public-domain e-book released by Project Gutenberg, mainly providing the original poems; no detailed annotations or introduction are mentioned. Readers who wish to understand the creative background and allusions in the poems are advised to consult a history of Indian English literature or related research for a better reading experience.

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About the author

Naidu, Sarojini, 1879-1949 Author · Indian · 1879–1949

Sarojini Naidu (1879–1949) was an Indian poet and politician, known as the "Nightingale of India." Born in India, she moved between literature and public life, winning recognition both for her poetry and for her political engagement, and she served as president of the Indian National Congress. Her representative work, The Golden Threshold, collects poems whose subjects are drawn largely from Indian scenes and emotions; their clear, musical language reflects her effort to bring Indian experience into English verse. As a poet she holds a place in Indian English literature, while her public activity gave her writing a marked social concern. Public information is limited, so the details of her life and the full range of her work cannot be fully set out here, yet The Golden Threshold sufficiently shows the basic character and influence of her poetry.