By the Waters of Paradise
The story revolves around a young American woman, Harriet, who travels to Italy with her aunt and becomes enamored with a charismatic Italian musician, Corrado. Despite their differing social classes, they fall deeply in love. However, their romance is threatened when Corrado's dark past is revealed, including his previous marriage and the death of his wife under mysterious circumstances. As Harriet struggles to reconcile her feelings with the truth about Corrado's past, she must navigate the complexities of Italian society and confront the secrets that surround her lover.
By F. Marion Crawford · First published 1913 · Genre: Gothic Fiction, Romance, Psychological Fiction · 3 chapters · 11,257 words
First lines
I remember my childhood very distinctly. I do not think that the fact argues a good memory, for I have never been clever at learning words by heart, in prose or rhyme; so that I believe my remembrance of events depends much more upon the events themselves than upon my possessing any special facility for recalling them. Perhaps I am too imaginative, and the earliest impressions I received were of a kind to stimulate the imagination abnormally. A long series of little misfortunes, connected with each other so as to suggest a sort of weird fatality, so worked upon my melancholy temperament when I was a boy that, before I was of age, I sincerely believed myself to be under a curse, and not only myself, but my whole family, and every individual who bore my name.
What this Textopian page supports
By the Waters of Paradise is listed on Textopian as a novel by F. Marion Crawford, dated 1913 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: F. Marion Crawford
- Date: 1913 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Gothic Fiction, Romance, Psychological Fiction, Literary Fiction, Coming-of-Age
- Length: 11,257 words
- Structure: 3 chapters, 150 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for By the Waters of Paradise by F. Marion Crawford
- 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 By the Waters of Paradise?
- How does this novel by F. Marion Crawford fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Gothic Fiction first become important in the reading?
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Genres
- Gothic Fiction — The novel features elements of the supernatural, a melancholic atmosphere, and themes of isolation and haunting memories, characteristic of Gothic literature.
- Romance — The protagonist's emotional journey revolves around love and longing, particularly his infatuation with the mysterious woman, which drives the narrative.
- Psychological Fiction — The story delves into the protagonist's inner thoughts, feelings of melancholy, and the impact of his past on his present, exploring psychological themes.
- Literary Fiction — The work emphasizes character development, thematic depth, and stylistic prose, focusing on the human experience and emotional complexity.
Tags
Romance · Historical Fiction · Adventure · Mystery · Thriller · Suspense · Gothic · Dark Fantasy · Supernatural · Occult · Esoteric · Philosophical