A Tale Of The House Of The Wolfings And All The Kindreds Of The Mark Written In Prose And In Verse (1890)

By William Morris

Book Overview

A Tale Of The House Of The Wolfings And All The Kindreds Of The Mark Written In Prose And In Verse is a novel written by William Morris and published in 1890. The story is set in a fictional world inspired by Norse mythology and follows the Wolfings, a tribe living in the Mark, a region of forests and hills. The Wolfings are threatened by invading Roman forces and must fight to defend their homes and way of life. The novel is written in a mix of prose and verse, with the verse sections serving as songs and poetry recited by the characters. The story explores themes of heroism, loyalty, and the relationship between humans and nature. Morris, a prominent figure in the Arts and Crafts movement, was known for his interest in medieval literature and his advocacy for traditional craftsmanship. A Tale Of The House Of The Wolfings And All The Kindreds Of The Mark reflects his passion for the past and his desire to create a new literary and artistic aesthetic.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1164792970
• ISBN13: 9781164792970
• Release Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing
• Length: 406 Pages
• Weight: 1.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Marvelous - esp. for English language lovers

"Whiles in the early winter eve we pass amid the gathering night some homestead that we had to leave years past; and see its candles bright shine in the room beside the door where we were merry years agone but now must never enter more, as still the dark road drives us on. E'en so the world of men may turn at even of some hurried day and see the ancient glimmer burn across the waste that hath no way; then with that faint light in its eyes a while I bid it linger near and nurse in wavering memories the bitter-sweet of days that were."The above paragraph is from a marvelous book called The House of Wulfings by William Morris. It tells the story of a Teutonic tribe in their struggle with Roman legions. It is told empathetically from the point of view of the "barbarians." This book is a love affair with the heathen spirituality of the distant ancestors of the Germanic peoples.The really interesting thing to me is the language. Morris does with language the same as Anthony Burgess did in A Clockwork Orange. He invents a language that was never spoken. It appears to be the language of Shakespeare but in fact he invents an English as it might have been spoken had the Anglo-Saxons won in 1066. He extrapolates a Middle English that evolved from its Anglo-Saxon roots without the influence of French.I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Unfortunately it is very difficult to get.