The Blue Jar by Maria Edgeworth
The Blue Jar is a novella written by Maria Edgeworth, published in 1802. The story follows the life of a young woman named Emily, who lives with her father and stepmother on an Irish estate. Emily's mother died when she was a child, and her father remarries to a woman named Mrs. Honora. The novella explores themes of class, gender, and family dynamics, as Emily navigates her relationships with her father, stepmother, and the people around her. Can I help you with something else?
By Maria Edgeworth · First published 1807 · Genre: Short Stories, Drama, Suspense · 2,559 words
First lines
Rosamond, a little girl about seven years of age, was walking with her mother in the streets of London. As she passed along she looked in at the windows of several shops, and saw a great variety of different sorts of things, of which she did not know the use or even the names. She wished to stop to look at them, but there was a great number of people in the streets, and a great many carts, carriages, and wheelbarrows, and she was afraid to let go her mother's hand.
'Oh, mother, how happy I should be,' she said, as she passed a toy-shop, 'if I had all these pretty things!'
What this Textopian page supports
The Blue Jar is listed on Textopian as a short story by Maria Edgeworth, dated 1807 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Maria Edgeworth
- Date: 1807 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Short Stories, Drama, Suspense, Literary Fiction
- Length: 2,559 words
- Structure: 1 section, 84 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Blue Jar by Maria Edgeworth
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
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Discussion starters
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Genres
- Short Stories — The Blue Jar is a concise narrative with a clear beginning, middle, and end, characteristic of the short story genre.
- Drama — The book contains dramatic elements with intense emotional exchanges and conflict between characters.
- Suspense — The story builds up tension through the narrative, keeping the readers in suspense about the fate of the blue jar.
- Literary Fiction — The story has a strong focus on style, characters, and psychological depth, traits usually associated with literary fiction.
Tags
short story · 19th century · Irish literature · moral lesson · family dynamics · social class · childhood · imagination · friendship · adventure · nature · innocence