Other editions of book The Devil's Pool

"The Devil's Pool" (1846) is a novel about the life of the French peasants by George Sand. Excerpt: "I knew the young man and the beautiful child; I knew their history, for they had a history. Although but a peasant and a laborer, Germain had always been aware of his duties and affections. He had related them to me clearly and ingenuously, and I had listened with interest. After some time spent in watching him plow, it occurred to me that I might write his story, though that story were as simple, as straightforward, and unadorned as the furrow he was tracing. Next year that furrow will be filled and covered by a fresh one. Thus disappear most of the footprints made by man in the field of human life. A little earth obliterates them, and the furrows we have dug succeed one another like graves in a cemetery. I mean, if possible, to save from oblivion the furrow of Germain, the skilled husbandman. He will never know nor care, but I shall take pleasure in my talk."

This anthology is a thorough introduction to classic literature for those who have not yet experienced these literary masterworks. For those who have known and loved these works in the past, this is an invitation to reunite with old friends in a fresh new format. From Shakespeare s finesse to Oscar Wilde s wit, this unique collection brings together works as diverse and influential as The Pilgrim s Progress and Othello. As an anthology that invites readers to immerse themselves in the masterpieces of the literary giants, it is must-have addition to any library.

An Unabridged Edition To Include Appendix: The Tillage Of The Soil - Father Maurice - Germain, The Skilled Husbandman - Mother Guillette - Petit-Pierre - On The Heath - Underneath The Big Oaks - The Evening Prayer - Despite The Cold - Beneath The Stars - The Belle Of The Village - The Master - The Old Woman - The Return To The Farm - Mother Maurice - Little Marie - APPENDIX : The Wedding Favors - The Wedding - The Cabbage

Originally published in 1901, this early translation of the French writer, George Sand, is both expensive and hard to find in its first edition. Set in the region of Berry, France, Sand depicts a way of pre-industrial rural life that was soon to change. Charting the fortune of Germain, a 28 year old widower, Sand provides the reader with a glimpse into the traditions of rural France in a style not dissimilar to that of Thomas Hardy. Sand’s novella is a fascinating novel of the period and still an interesting read for any social historian today. A lively text and a well-developed plot make this a thoroughly enjoyable read. Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

The Devil’s Pool is one of a group of pastoral novels inspired by the countryside of Nohant in Berry, where George Sand grew up. These novels are simple stories of country life, in which Sand records local customs and manners, depicting a timeless idyll, unaffected by the outside world and the political events of the time.With his wife dead and three young children to raise, ploughman Germaine decides that the time has come to marry again. He embarks on a journey to meet a rich widow, Catherine Leonard, in a match that has been approved by his father-in-law; however, he finds her proud and vain and surrounded by other suitors. Germaine prefers the company of Marie, a young shepherdess from his own village, but she is insistent that she wants a younger, more suitable husband. Influential French author George Sand is best known for two groups of novels: a series of romantic tales and a collection of country-life idylls.

George Sand's superb novella based upon her upbringing in the French countryside is published afresh in this presentable edition. We observe the lives of Pere Maurice and his young son-in-law Germain, who is considering finding a new woman to marry. He is presently a single father, his deceased wife having bore three children prior to expiring. His father is enthusiastic about arranging a meeting between a wealthy friend of his - Pere Leonard - whose daughter, Catherine Guerin, is likewise widowed. Despite a distinct possibility the union will be a success, and his father's enthusiasm that the three young children will receive a good upbringing under the care of Catherine, Germain is unenthusiastic about marrying again. Persuaded by his father, who insists that he and his wife cannot manage three children in their home, Germain is given a young and attractive grey mare as well as selection of freshly caught game to present as a dowry to Pere Leonard. An accurate account of rural life in France, The Devil's Pool - also known by its French title La Mare au Diable, draws deeply upon the experiences of author George Sand.

With his wife dead and three young children to raise, ploughman Germaine decides that the time has come to marry again. He embarks on a journey to meet a rich widow, Catherine Leonard, in a match that has been approved by his father-in-law; however, he finds her proud and vain and surrounded by other suitors. Germaine prefers the company of Marie, a young shepherdess from his own village, but she is insistent that she wants a younger, more suitable husband...Influential French author George Sand(1804-76) is best known for two groups of novels; a series of romantic tales and a collection of country-life idylls.

I HAD just been looking long and sadly at Holbein's plowman, and was walking through the fields, musing on rustic life and the destiny of the husbandman. It is certainly tragic for him to spend his days and his strength delving in the jealous earth, that so reluctantly yields up her rich treasures when a morsel of coarse black bread, at the end of the day's work, is the sole reward and profit to be reaped from such arduous toil. The wealth of the soil, the harvests, the fruits, the splendid cattle that grow sleek and fat in the luxuriant grass, are the property of the few, and but instruments of the drudgery and slavery of the many. The man of leisure seldom loves, for their own sake, the fields and meadows, the landscape, or the noble animals which are to be converted into gold for his use. He comes to the country for his health or for change of air, but goes back to town to spend the fruit of his vassal's labor.

"You will reach Fourche by nightfall," said Father Maurice to Germain. "The roads are good, and you will take the mare. A suitor looks better when he comes well mounted. You must put on your new clothes and carry a nice present of game to Father Leonard. You will talk with him, then pass all of Sunday with his daughter, and then Monday morning come back with a yes or no about the marriage to this widow." "Very well," answered Germain calmly, although within himself he felt no calm. Germain had always lived soberly. Married at twenty, he had loved but one woman in his life -- and after her death, impulsive and gay as his nature was, he had never played nor trifled with another. He had borne a real sorrow faithfully in his heart, and it was not without misgiving nor without sadness that he yielded to his father-in-law. Nevertheless, he was sad. Few days went by when he did not cry in secret, for his late wife; and although loneliness began to weigh on him, he was more afraid of entering into a new marriage than desirous of finding a support in his sorrow. He had a vague idea that love might have consoled him by coming to him of a sudden -- for this is the only way love can console. We never find it when we seek it, he told himself; it comes over us unawares. But this cold-blooded scheme of marriage that Father Maurice had opened to him . . . this unknown woman he was to take for his bride . . . perhaps his life was not his own to leave open to the vagaries of chance. Yet Germaine's path to Fourche is not the one Father Maurice expects it to be -- and chance, misfortune, and bedevilments will have ample chance to influence Germain's future.