In a London Garden by Barry Pain
A short story about a man who finds himself lost in a London garden, contemplating his life and relationships.
By Barry Pain · First published 1914 · Genre: Historical Fiction, Drama, Literary Fiction · 6 chapters · 20,809 words
First lines
My London garden is not really mine. I have it for a period of years on conditions arranged between two legal gentlemen, the tenant paying the landlord's cost. Obviously the person who owns the property can better afford to pay those costs than the man who has to hire it. And similarly the man who is lending money on a mortgage can better afford to pay costs than the man who has to borrow it. But the tenant pays, and the borrower pays. It is a principle of the law that the poor man pays. But this reflection, into which bitterness of spirit has led me, has nothing whatever to do with my garden.
What this Textopian page supports
In a London Garden is listed on Textopian as a novella by Barry Pain, dated 1914 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novella
- Author: Barry Pain
- Date: 1914 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Drama, Literary Fiction
- Length: 20,809 words
- Structure: 6 chapters, 313 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for In a London Garden by Barry Pain
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering In a London Garden?
- How does this novella by Barry Pain fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Historical Fiction first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Historical Fiction — The book presents a carefully reconstructed representation of life in London, making it fall under Historical Fiction.
- Drama — The narrative is filled with emotional and dramatic events, categorizing it under Drama genre.
- Literary Fiction — Barry Pain's strong narrative technique and sophisticated writing style make it suitable for the Literary Fiction genre.
Tags
Romance · Fiction · Literary Fiction · Contemporary Fiction · London · Gardening · Nature · Relationships · Family · Love · Historical Fiction · 1920s
Contents
- THE RECLAMATION OF THE CAT-WALK: AND THE STORY OF "THE POOL IN THE DESERT"
- OMISSIONS: AND THE STORY OF "THE GIRL WHO WENT BACK"
- ROSES: AND THE STORY OF "THE BLESSED ARTIST"
- THE FOUNTAIN: AND THE STORY OF "THE LITTLE DEATH"
- THE STRUGGLE: AND THE STORY OF "ALFRED SIMPSON"
- NIGHT IN THE GARDEN: AND THE STORY OF "THE GHOSTLY MUSIC"