The Golden Legend

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, 1807-1882Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 159K words
Chapters: 16

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 Legend by Henry Wadsworth LongfellowAuthor: Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, 1807-1882,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Dec 1, 2003

Editor's review

The Golden Legend is a long narrative poem by Longfellow drawing on medieval saint legends, unfolding around the fates of several saints, with faith, suffering, and devotion at its core. Longfellow retells old legends in the language of a nineteenth-century American poet, combining devout lyricism with dramatic scenes; it is a typical text for understanding how Victorian-era Americans imagined the Middle Ages. Its reading value lies in the verse narrative itself: regular rhythm and bright imagery, well suited to reading aloud; it also offers a window onto how religious legend is rewritten by a modern poet. Readers should treat it as literature rather than history or theology, attending to its emotional structure and moral imagination. The Gutenberg edition is the original English text, suited to readers willing to read verse slowly.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy nineteenth-century English poetry and narrative verse
Those interested in medieval saint legends and their literary retellings
Learners who want to practise English rhythm through reading aloud
Enthusiasts studying the relation between religion and European tradition in American literature

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting rigorous medieval historical sources or theological argument
Readers unaccustomed to verse narrative who prefer fast-paced fiction
Beginners with limited English vocabulary unwilling to look up allusions

Reading tips

Begin with the prologue or opening passage to feel the rhythm of the lines before deciding your reading pace.
Pause after each legend to retell the plot and clarify characters and symbols.
Try reading several passages aloud, noting the effect of rhyme and pauses.
Keep brief background notes on unfamiliar saint allusions; there is no need to verify every one.

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

Is this book a historical record or a literary work?

It is a literary work. Longfellow draws on circulating saint legends and retells them in verse, focusing on emotion and moral imagination rather than historical verification. Readers should approach it as the creation of a nineteenth-century American poet, not as medieval source material or theology.

Can I understand it without a religious background?

Yes, but it takes some patience. The poem involves saint traditions and religious imagery; readers unfamiliar with them can first learn the outlines of the main figures' legends before entering the verse. Even without delving into allusions, one can feel the lyricism and dramatic tension of the narrative poem; just focus on the characters' fates and emotions.

Is it suitable for learning English?

It suits intermediate and advanced learners. Verse has rhythm and is easy to read aloud, helping develop a feel for English cadence and rhetoric; but the diction is literary and allusions are frequent. Use it with notes or a guide, first grasping the gist of passages, then reading line by line closely; it is not suitable as an introductory textbook.

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About the author

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth, 1807-1882 Author

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth (1807–1882) was a nineteenth-century American poet; his name and dates are as recorded in the library, while other biographical details are limited in publicly available sources and are not speculated upon here. The library holds twenty of his works, spanning long narrative poems, short lyrics, and verse drama. Evangeline, set against the dispersal of the Acadians, is a sustained and sympathetic narrative; The Courtship of Miles Standish draws on legends of the colonial period; Tales of a Wayside Inn uses a frame narrative in which travelers tell stories from many lands; and The Wreck of the Hesperus is a ballad-like treatment of a maritime disaster. His verse attends to rhyme and rhythm and to folk and legendary material, and its plain language, addressed to ordinary readers, helped it circulate widely in the English-speaking world.