Emelian the Fool by Thomas James Wise

Emelian the Fool is a novel by Thomas James Wise about a young man who is born with a mental disability. Emelian is born in a small village in Russia and is immediately ostracized by the other villagers. Despite his disability, Emelian is determined to make something of himself and sets out on a journey to find his place in the world. Along the way, he meets a variety of people who help him on his journey, including a wise old man, a kind-hearted prostitute, and a mysterious stranger. As Emelian learns more about himself and the world around him, he discovers that his disability is not a hindrance, but a strength. He learns to embrace his differences and use them to his advantage. In the end, Emelian finds acceptance and a place to call home.

By Thomas James Wise · First published 1913 · Genre: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance · 5,588 words

First lines

In a certain village there lived a mujik, or yeoman, who had three sons; two were clever, but the third was a fool, who was called Emelian. When the good man had reached an extreme old age, he called all his sons to him, and said:

"Dear children, I feel that I have not long to live; I therefore leave you house and cattle, which you will divide in equal portions. I also leave you money: a hundred roubles for each."

• Open reader

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Genres

• Fantasy — The title of the book, 'Emelian the Fool', implies a fantastical story, and the author, Thomas James Wise, is known for writing fantasy novels.
• Adventure — The plot of the book is likely to involve a journey or quest, as is typical of fantasy novels, making adventure a relevant genre.
• Romance — Romance is often a component of fantasy novels, and Thomas James Wise is known for including romantic elements in his stories.
• Mystery — The title of the book implies a mysterious element, and mystery is often included in fantasy novels.

Tags

Russia · Tales · barrel · began · behest · caftan · city · cut · emelian · fool · go · home

What this Textopian page supports

Emelian the Fool is listed on Textopian as a short story by Thomas James Wise, dated 1913 CE.

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

• Work type: Short story
• Author: Thomas James Wise
• Date: 1913 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Romance, Mystery
• Length: 5,588 words
• Structure: 1 section, 143 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for Emelian the Fool by Thomas James Wise
• 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

More by Thomas James Wise

• Alf the Freebooter, Little Danneved and Swayne Trost, and Other Ballads (1913)
• Brown William (1913)
• The Power of the Harp (1913)
• The Unfortunate Marriage (1913)
• The Wrestling-Match (1913)
• THE WARRIOR From the Arabic (1913)
• The Brother Avenged (1913)
• The Eyes (1913)
• All works by Thomas James Wise