| Author |
Ainsworth, William Harrison, 1805-1882 |
| Title |
Old Saint Paul's: A Tale of the Plague and the Fire
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| Note |
Reading ease score: 70.3 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.
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| Credits |
Etext produced by Dave Morgan, Terry Gilliland and PG Distributed Proofreaders
HTML files produced by David Widger
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| Summary |
"Old Saint Paul's: A Tale of the Plague and the Fire" by William Harrison Ainsworth is a historical novel likely written in the mid-19th century. Set during one of London's most desperate times—the Great Plague of 1665—this tale revolves around Stephen Bloundel, a devout grocer, his family, and the various challenges they face as the pandemic devastates the city. The narrative weaves together personal struggles with larger themes of survival, morality, and the human capacity for both love and jealousy amidst calamity. At the start of the novel, we are introduced to the Bloundel family as they engage in fervent prayers for protection against the plague consuming London. Stephen Bloundel, the patriarch, grapples with his faith and the implications of the city’s sins which he believes have led to this catastrophe. His eldest son soon shows signs of illness, throwing the family into turmoil. Meanwhile, attention also turns to Amabel, the grocer's daughter, who finds herself the object of affection and rivalry between Leonard, the apprentice, and Maurice Wyvil, a handsome young gallant. The opening portion establishes the tense atmosphere thick with dread of the plague, alongside romantic entanglements, setting the stage for the intertwining of personal and public crises in the face of a merciless disease. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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| Language |
English |
| LoC Class |
PR: Language and Literatures: English literature
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| Subject |
Historical fiction
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| Subject |
Great Fire, London, England, 1666 -- Fiction
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| Subject |
Plague -- Fiction
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| Subject |
London (England) -- History -- 17th century -- Fiction
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| Subject |
Fires -- Fiction
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| Subject |
St. Paul's Cathedral (London, England) -- Fiction
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| Category |
Text |
| EBook-No. |
11082 |
| Release Date |
Feb 1, 2004 |
| Most Recently Updated |
Jul 31, 2018 |
| Copyright Status |
Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads |
134 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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