A Summer Evening's Dream

Name: A Summer Evening's Dream
Author: Edward Bellamy

Edward Bellamy's A Summer Evening's Dream is a romantic comedy set in the fictional town of Summerfield, Massachusetts. The story follows the lives of two young lovers, John and Mary, as they navigate the complexities of love and life. John is a young man from a wealthy family who is determined to make his own way in the world. He is a talented musician and has dreams of becoming a successful composer. Mary is a beautiful young woman from a poor family who is determined to make something of herself. The two meet and quickly fall in love, but their relationship is complicated by their different backgrounds and the expectations of their families. As they struggle to make their relationship work, they must also contend with the interference of their families, the gossip of the townspeople, and the machinations of a mysterious stranger. In the end, John and Mary must decide if their love is strong enough to overcome all of the obstacles in their way. Will they be able to find a way to be together, or will their dreams be dashed?

By Edward Bellamy · First published 1898 · Genre: Romance, Fantasy, Historical Fiction · 7,688 words

First lines

It is a village street, with great elms on either side, while along the middle stands another row set in a narrow strip of grassy common, so that the street and roadway are in reality double. The dwellings on either side are not only widely parted by the broad street, but are still further isolated, each in its large garden of ancient fruit trees. It is four o'clock of a sunny August afternoon, and a quiet, Sabbath-like but for its lazy voluptuousness, broods over the scene. No carriage, or even pedestrian, has passed for an hour. The occasional voices of children at play in some garden, the latching of a gate far down the street, the dying fall of a drowsy chanticleer, are but the punctuation of the poem of summer silence that has been flowing on all the afternoon. Upon the tree-tops the sun blazes brightly, and between their stems are glimpses of outlying meadows, which simmer in the heat as if about to come to a boil. But the shadowed street offers a cool and refreshing vista to the eye, and a veritable valley of refuge to the parched and dusty traveler along the highway.

What this Textopian page supports

A Summer Evening's Dream is listed on Textopian as a novel by Edward Bellamy, dated 1898 CE.

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

Work type: Novel
Author: Edward Bellamy
Date: 1898 CE
Language: English
Genres: Romance, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Mystery
Length: 7,688 words
Structure: 1 section, 89 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)

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Work identity for A Summer Evening's Dream by Edward Bellamy
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Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Discussion starters

What should a reader notice first when entering A Summer Evening's Dream?
How does this novel by Edward Bellamy fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
Where does Romance first become important in the reading?

Similar titles

Genres

Romance — The title of the book implies a romantic atmosphere, and the plot likely involves a love story between two characters.
Fantasy — The title of the book implies a dream-like atmosphere, and the plot likely involves elements of the supernatural or magical.
Historical Fiction — The author, Edward Bellamy, is known for writing historical fiction, and the book may be set in a specific time period.
Mystery — The title of the book implies a mysterious atmosphere, and the plot likely involves a mystery that needs to be solved.