Queen Lucia by E.F. Benson (1920)

Name: Queen Lucia
Author: E.F. Benson

Lucia, the eccentric and beloved queen of the small English village of Riseholme, is determined to make her mark on the world. She is determined to bring culture and sophistication to the sleepy village, and she will stop at nothing to achieve her goal. Lucia's plans are met with resistance from the other villagers, who are content with their simple lives. But Lucia is determined to prove them wrong, and she sets out to prove that Riseholme can be a place of culture and refinement. Lucia's schemes are met with mixed success, and she soon finds herself in the middle of a battle between the old and the new. As the battle rages, Lucia must decide whether to stay true to her vision or to give in to the demands of the villagers. In the end, Lucia must decide whether to stay in Riseholme or to move on to a new life. Will she be able to find a way to bring her vision to life, or will she be forced to abandon her dreams?

By E.F. Benson · First published 1920 · Genre: Comedy, Satire, Romance · 16 chapters · 87,183 words

First lines

Though the sun was hot on this July morning Mrs Lucas preferred to cover the half-mile that lay between the station and her house on her own brisk feet, and sent on her maid and her luggage in the fly that her husband had ordered to meet her. After those four hours in the train a short walk would be pleasant, but, though she veiled it from her conscious mind, another motive, sub-consciously engineered, prompted her action. It would, of course, be universally known to all her friends in Riseholme that she was arriving today by the 12.26, and at that hour the village street would be sure to be full of them. They would see the fly with luggage draw up at the door of The Hurst, and nobody except her maid would get out.

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Queen Lucia is listed on Textopian as a novel by E.F. Benson, dated 1920 CE.

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

Work type: Novel
Author: E.F. Benson
Date: 1920 CE
Language: English
Genres: Comedy, Satire, Romance, Fiction
Length: 87,183 words
Structure: 16 chapters, 2,909 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

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Discussion starters

What should a reader notice first when entering Queen Lucia?
How does this novel by E.F. Benson fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
Where does Comedy first become important in the reading?

Similar titles

Genres

Comedy — Queen Lucia is a humorous novel that follows the antics of a small-town English society and its members' attempts to outdo each other in social status.
Satire — E.F. Benson's writing style is satirical, poking fun at the characters and their attempts to gain social status in their small-town English society.
Romance — The novel follows the romantic relationships of the characters, as well as their attempts to gain social status in their small-town English society.
Fiction — Queen Lucia is a work of fiction, as it is a story that is not based on real events or people.