Nip-Cheeked Toney

Name: Nip-Cheeked Toney
Author: Berthold Auerbach

Toney is a young man who has been raised by his grandmother, a kind and gentle woman. Despite her best efforts to teach him good values, Toney grows up to be a selfish and unscrupulous person, always looking out for his own interests without regard for others. He marries a poor but honest woman named Lina, who is deeply in love with him, but he treats her cruelly and neglects her. Eventually, Lina dies of a broken heart, leaving Toney alone and unrepentant. The story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of selfishness and the importance of treating others with kindness and respect.

By Berthold Auerbach · First published 1879 · Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance · 7,056 words

First lines

On the ridge where the road forks, and leads to Muehringen on one side and to Ahldorf on the other, in what is called the "Cherry-copse," three lasses were sitting one Sunday afternoon under a blossoming cherry-tree. All around was quiet: not a plough creaked nor a wagon rattled. As far as the eye could see, Sunday rested everywhere. From the opposite hill, where the church of an old monastery is yet standing, a bell tolled its farewell to the worshippers who were returning to their homes. In the valley the yellow rape-seed blossomed among the green rye-fields; and on the right, where the Jewish graveyard crowns a gentle eminence, the four weeping willows which mark its corners drooped motionless over the graves of the grandmother, mother, and five children who were all burned in one house together. Farther down, amid the blooming trees, was a wooden crucifix, painted white and red. Every thing else breathed still life.

What this Textopian page supports

Nip-Cheeked Toney is listed on Textopian as a short story by Berthold Auerbach, dated 1879 CE.

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Work type: Short story
Author: Berthold Auerbach
Date: 1879 CE
Language: English
Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Romance, Drama
Length: 7,056 words
Structure: 1 section, 129 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

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Similar titles

Genres

Fiction — The book is a creative narration of characters' personal experiences, making it a work of fiction.
Historical Fiction — The plot is set against a historically accurate backdrop which explores historical events or figures through the lens of fiction.
Romance — The core plot of the story revolves around a romantic relationship.
Drama — The story contains interpersonal conflicts and emotional tensions which contribute to dramatic elements.