The dryad : a novel by Justin H. McCarthy
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"The dryad : a novel" by Justin H. McCarthy is a novel written in the early 20th century. Set amid medieval Frankish-ruled Greece, it weaves chivalric romance with lingering Greek pagan enchantment as a rough soldier of fortune, a high-minded young prince, and an immortal forest nymph collide. The likely focus is on the clash between cynicism and idealism, the endurance of the old gods’ magic, and a perilous love between mortal
and immortal, chiefly through Simon of Rouen, Rainouart of the Rock, and the dryad Argathona. The opening of the novel follows Simon of Rouen into the Eleusinian wood, where his coarse wit, empty purse, and misanthropic “lantern for honesty” contrast sharply with a young knight he meets reading the Romance of the Rose. After spitefully directing lurking thieves toward the knight, Simon naps and wakes to Argathona, a dryad who claims ancient lineage and effortless strength, rebuffing his clumsy advances and compelling him to aid the ambushed rider. She races him to the scene, summons a terror-storm to scatter the robbers, and tends the wounded youth—Rainouart—whose life and vigor revive under her touch. As Simon fetches water, Argathona and Rainouart exchange tender words that flower into first love; he offers lifelong devotion, even to dwell in the forest, while she, bound to the greenwood, hesitates and goes to seek a healing herb. Meanwhile, Simon returns unseen, spies on their meeting, steals the knight’s cherished book, and, torn between envy and pity, toys with darker thoughts over the helpless rival. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | McCarthy, Justin H. (Justin Huntly), 1860-1936 |
|---|---|
| LoC No. | 05008377 |
| Title | The dryad : a novel |
| Original Publication | New York: Harper & Brothers, 1905. |
| Credits | Aaron Adrignola, Tim Lindell, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from images made available by the HathiTrust Digital Library.) |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 72.3 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PR: Language and Literatures: English literature |
| Subject | Historical fiction |
| Subject | Dryads -- Fiction |
| Subject | Mythological fiction |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 76442 |
| Release Date | Jul 5, 2025 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 3146 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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