Two Burdens by Alice Meynell (1893)

Name: Two Burdens
Author: Alice Meynell

"Two Burdens" is a novella written by Alice Meynell in 1902. The story follows the lives of two women, Mary and Emily, who are connected by their shared experience of loss and grief. Mary has lost her husband in a tragic accident, while Emily has lost her only son to illness. Despite their different circumstances, both women bear the weight of their burdens with grace and resilience. The novella explores themes of love, loss, and the human spirit, and is a powerful meditation on the fragility of life and the enduring power of the human heart.

By Alice Meynell · First published 1893 · Genre: Poetry, Literature, Feminist Literature · 1,419 words

First lines

One is on the breast and clings there with arms, and one on the back and clings with thongs. The burden of the back bows the body, turns the face from the sky, narrows the lungs and flattens the foot; takes away the flight and the dance from the gait of man, and ties him towards the earth -- not only in the way of nature, by means of his arched feet, but by a heavy lien upon his shoulders and his brows. It is the fardel that makes this vital figure to be subject visibly, and at several points, to that law of gravitation which, in a state of liberty, it uses to withstand, to countervail, to leap from, to walk with, making the universal tether elastic. Bend in two this supple spine that can lift itself, like a snake erect, with something better than mere balance -- with life and the active will; bend the back, and at once gravitation takes hold of the loins and grasps the knees, and pulls upon the shoulders, and the neck feels the weight of an abject head.

What this Textopian page supports

Two Burdens is listed on Textopian as an essay by Alice Meynell, dated 1893 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Work type: Essay
Author: Alice Meynell
Date: 1893 CE
Language: English
Genres: Poetry, Literature, Feminist Literature
Length: 1,419 words
Structure: 1 section, 11 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)

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Genres

Poetry — The book is a collection of poems written by Alice Meynell, making it fit for the Poetry genre.
Literature — It falls under the Literature genre as it adds to the body of written works produced in English and often centered around key themes or concepts.
Feminist Literature — As Alice Meynell was a prominent suffragist, many of her works including 'Two Burdens' likely contain themes of gender equality or critique societal norms regarding gender, thus fitting the Feminist Literature genre.