The Real Thing and Other Tales

The Real Thing and Other Tales

L. Frank Baum

5.0
Comment(s)
4
View
25
Chapters

The present collection is intended to exemplify the spirit of the Czech race. It may perhaps be objected that folk-tale themes are part of a common stock belonging to all European races, and even to many primitive peoples: but though this is perfectly true, it is also no less certain that the spirit of the nation manifests itself in the manner of their telling. The selection has been made from all sorts of folk tales, artistic and primitive alike; and yet two things are common to all of them: the moral tendency and a sense of humour. By this I do not mean morality in the vulgar sense of retribution for evil, or of filial devotion, or the sentimental insistence upon “every one living happily ever afterwards,” and above all upon Jack marrying his Molly. I mean that higher sort of morality which was the mainspring of Protestantism. It is often supposed that Protestantism is [xiv]very unfavourable to the development and preservation of folk tales; but those of Bohemia are certainly an exception to this rule. The Czech nation was the first to adopt the Protestant faith, and even to-day is still Protestant at heart, though the Habsburgs forced it back into the Catholic fold.

The Real Thing and Other Tales PREFACE

The present collection has been selected from the following sources:-

Josef Kubín, Povídky kladské, i., ii. (in "Národopisny věstník ?eskoslovansky").

V. Vondrák, Několik pohádek z Dubu u Vodňan (S. Bohemia), in "?esky Lid," xiii.

V. Tille, Povídky sebrané na Vala?sku (S. Moravia). "Národopisny sborník ?eskoslovansky," Svazek vii. Prague, 1901.

Elpl, ?ada pohádek a pověstí nasbíranych v Lí?ni u Brna (Moravia).

B. M. Kulda, Moravské národní pohádky a pověsti, i. (Prague, 1874). From Moravia.

The first two stories ("Twelve Months," "Ví?azko") have been retold by the novelist Bo?ena Němcová (from the Slovak).

My translation could not be, of course, a literal one, because many phrases in the [viii]original might seem strange to the English reader's ear.

Finally, I wish to express my thanks to Miss Eleanor Hull and Mr. Robin Flower for revising my English.

JOSEF BAUDI?.

London, October 1917.

Continue Reading

Other books by L. Frank Baum

More

You'll also like

I Slapped My Fiancé-Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis

I Slapped My Fiancé-Then Married His Billionaire Nemesis

Jessica C. Dolan
4.9

Being second best is practically in my DNA. My sister got the love, the attention, the spotlight. And now, even her damn fiancé. Technically, Rhys Granger was my fiancé now-billionaire, devastatingly hot, and a walking Wall Street wet dream. My parents shoved me into the engagement after Catherine disappeared, and honestly? I didn't mind. I'd crushed on Rhys for years. This was my chance, right? My turn to be the chosen one? Wrong. One night, he slapped me. Over a mug. A stupid, chipped, ugly mug my sister gave him years ago. That's when it hit me-he didn't love me. He didn't even see me. I was just a warm-bodied placeholder for the woman he actually wanted. And apparently, I wasn't even worth as much as a glorified coffee cup. So I slapped him right back, dumped his ass, and prepared for disaster-my parents losing their minds, Rhys throwing a billionaire tantrum, his terrifying family plotting my untimely demise. Obviously, I needed alcohol. A lot of alcohol. Enter him. Tall, dangerous, unfairly hot. The kind of man who makes you want to sin just by existing. I'd met him only once before, and that night, he just happened to be at the same bar as my drunk, self-pitying self. So I did the only logical thing: I dragged him into a hotel room and ripped off his clothes. It was reckless. It was stupid. It was completely ill-advised. But it was also: Best. Sex. Of. My. Life. And, as it turned out, the best decision I'd ever made. Because my one-night stand isn't just some random guy. He's richer than Rhys, more powerful than my entire family, and definitely more dangerous than I should be playing with. And now, he's not letting me go.

Flash Marriage To My Best Friend's Father

Flash Marriage To My Best Friend's Father

Madel Cerda
4.7

I was once the heiress to the Solomon empire, but after it crumbled, I became the "charity case" ward of the wealthy Hyde family. For years, I lived in their shadows, clinging to the promise that Anson Hyde would always be my protector. That promise shattered when Anson walked into the ballroom with Claudine Chapman on his arm. Claudine was the girl who had spent years making my life a living hell, and now Anson was announcing their engagement to the world. The humiliation was instant. Guests sneered at my cheap dress, and a waiter intentionally sloshed champagne over me, knowing I was a nobody. Anson didn't even look my way; he was too busy whispering possessively to his new fiancée. I was a ghost in my own home, watching my protector celebrate with my tormentor. The betrayal burned. I realized I wasn't a ward; I was a pawn Anson had kept on a shelf until he found a better trade. I had no money, no allies, and a legal trust fund that Anson controlled with a flick of his wrist. Fleeing to the library, I stumbled into Dallas Koch—a titan of industry and my best friend’s father. He was a wall of cold, absolute power that even the Hydes feared. "Marry me," I blurted out, desperate to find a shield Anson couldn't climb. Dallas didn't laugh. He pulled out a marriage agreement and a heavy fountain pen. "Sign," he commanded, his voice a low rumble. "But if you walk out that door with me, you never go back." I signed my name, trading my life for the only man dangerous enough to keep me safe.

Chapters
Read Now
Download Book
The Real Thing and Other Tales The Real Thing and Other Tales L. Frank Baum Literature
“The present collection is intended to exemplify the spirit of the Czech race. It may perhaps be objected that folk-tale themes are part of a common stock belonging to all European races, and even to many primitive peoples: but though this is perfectly true, it is also no less certain that the spirit of the nation manifests itself in the manner of their telling. The selection has been made from all sorts of folk tales, artistic and primitive alike; and yet two things are common to all of them: the moral tendency and a sense of humour. By this I do not mean morality in the vulgar sense of retribution for evil, or of filial devotion, or the sentimental insistence upon “every one living happily ever afterwards,” and above all upon Jack marrying his Molly. I mean that higher sort of morality which was the mainspring of Protestantism. It is often supposed that Protestantism is [xiv]very unfavourable to the development and preservation of folk tales; but those of Bohemia are certainly an exception to this rule. The Czech nation was the first to adopt the Protestant faith, and even to-day is still Protestant at heart, though the Habsburgs forced it back into the Catholic fold.”
1

PREFACE

19/11/2017

2

INTRODUCTION

19/11/2017

3

THE TWELVE MONTHS

19/11/2017

4

VíAZKO

19/11/2017

5

BOOTS, CLOAK, AND RING

19/11/2017

6

SILLY JURA

19/11/2017

7

SLEEPY JOHN

19/11/2017

8

THREE DOVES

19/11/2017

9

THE BEAR, THE EAGLE, AND THE FISH

19/11/2017

10

KOJATA

19/11/2017

11

SHEPHERD HYNEK

19/11/2017

12

THE THREE ROSES

19/11/2017

13

THE ENCHANTED PRINCESSES

19/11/2017

14

THE TWIN BROTHERS

19/11/2017

15

THE WATERNICK

19/11/2017

16

THE MAN WHO MET MISERY

19/11/2017

17

NINE AT A BLOW

19/11/2017

18

A CLEVER LASS

19/11/2017

19

THE SOLDIER AND THE DEVIL

19/11/2017

20

OLD NICK AND KITTY

19/11/2017

21

THE KNIGHT BAMBUS

19/11/2017

22

FRANCIS AND MARTIN

19/11/2017

23

WITCHES AT THE CROSS

19/11/2017

24

THE WITCH AND THE HORSESHOES

19/11/2017

25

THE HAUNTED MILL

19/11/2017