Elizabeth And Her German Garden

Reproduction of the original.

"The Solitary Summer' by Elizabeth Von Arnim is a witty and heartwarming account of a summer full of relaxation and rejuvenation. Written in the form of diary entries, the book follows the narrator, written as a version of Elizabeth, as she lives her life surrounded by nature and her three children. Heartaches, days of reading, and a summer full of needed solitude have made this book strike a chord with countless audiences to this day.

In the first book-length treatment of Elizabeth von Arnim's fiction, Isobel Maddison examines her work in its historical and intellectual contexts, demonstrating that von Arnim's fine comic writing and complex and compelling narrative style reward close analysis. Organised chronologically and thematically, Maddison's book is informed by unpublished material from the British and Huntington Libraries, including correspondence between von Arnim, her publishers and prominent contemporaries such as H.G. Wells, Bertrand Russell and her cousin Katherine Mansfield -- whose early modernist prose is seen as indebted to von Arnim's earlier literary influence. Maddison's exploration of the novelist's critical reception is situated within recent discussions of the ’middlebrow’ and establishes von Arnim as a serious author among her intellectual milieu, countering the misinformed belief that the author of such novels as Elizabeth and Her German Garden, The Caravaners, The Pastor's Wife and Vera wrote light-hearted fiction removed from gritty reality. On the contrary, various strands of socialist thought and von Arnim's wider political beliefs establish her as a significant author of British anti-invasion literature while weighty social issues underpin much of her later writing.

Elizabeth von Arnim’s novel "Elizabeth and Her German Garden" was first published in 1898. It was instantly popular and has gone through numerous reprints ever since. This story is the main character Elizabeth’s diary, where she relates stories from her life, as she learns to tend to her garden. Whilst the novel has a strongly autobiographical tone, it is also very humorous and satirical, due to Elizabeth’s frequent mistakes and her idiosyncratic outlook on life. She comments on the beauty of nature and shares her view on society, looking down on the frivolous fashions of her time and writing "I believe all needlework and dressmaking is of the devil, designed to keep women from study." The book is the first in a series about the same character. Elizabeth von Arnim (1866–1941), née Mary Annette Beauchamp, was a British novelist. Born in Australia, her family returned to England when she was three years old; and she was Katherine Mansfield’s cousin. She was first married to a Prussian aristocrat, the Graf von Arnim-Schlagenthin, and later to the philosopher Bertrand Russel’s older brother, Frank, whom she left a year later. She then had an affair with the publisher Alexander Reeves, a man thirty years her junior, and with H.G. Wells. Von Arnim moved a lot, living alternatively in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Germany, Poland, before dying of influenza in South Carolina during the Second War. Elizabeth von Arnim was an active member of the European literary scene, and entertained many of her contemporaries in her Chalet Soleil in Switzerland. She even hired E. M. Forster and Hugh Walpole as tutors for her five children. She is famous for her half-autobiographical, satirical novel "Elizabeth and her German Garden" (1898), as well as for "Vera" (1921), and "The Enchanted April" (1922).

Set just before the first world war as the onset of conflict looms, ‘Christopher and Columbus’ tells the story of seventeen-year-old twin orphans, Anna-Rose and Anna-Felicitas as they are thrust upon their relatives by their Uncle Arthur. Arthur, a patriot, is suspicious of their half-German heritage and worries that they may be spying. He ships the twins off to America, and on their voyage, they befriend Mr Twist. However, Twist has not considered the pitfalls of taking the young women under his wings, especially since they cannot behave with tact and will need continued protection long after the ship docks. In this witty and comic novel, the twins arrive in America and take on the nicknames of Christopher and Columbus, as the reader follows their adventures in a country poised for war. A fun and uplifting novel, ‘Christopher and Columbus’ will be enjoyed by fans of ‘A Series of Unfortunate Events’. Elizabeth von Arnim was an English novelist – a cousin of the New Zealand-born writer Katherine Mansfield – born as Mary Annette Beauchamp in Australia in 1866. She married a German aristocrat and her earliest written works are set in Germany. Von Arnim launched her career as a writer with her satirical and semi-autobiographical work ‘Elizabeth and Her German Garden’, published anonymously in 1898. Although she was known by the name May in her early life, when she began writing, her success as ‘Elizabeth’ meant that her writings were ascribed to the name Elizabeth von Arnim.

In Elizabeth von Arnim’s humourous novel, "The Pastor's Wife", the main character Ingeborg Bullivant goes on a spontaneous trip to Lucerne and returns engaged to a Prussian pastor. However, her new life as a wife is restrictive, and when the dashing artist Ingram comes into her life and indulges her with musings about Italy, wanderlust temps Ingeborg for a second time. This warm and witty novel is based on von Arnim’s own first marriage and will be enjoyed by fans of ‘Eat, Pray, Love’. Elizabeth von Arnim was an English novelist – a cousin of the New Zealand-born writer Katherine Mansfield – born as Mary Annette Beauchamp in Australia in 1866. She married a German aristocrat and her earliest written works are set in Germany. Von Arnim launched her career as a writer with her satirical and semi-autobiographical work ‘Elizabeth and Her German Garden’, published anonymously in 1898. Although she was known by the name May in her early life, when she began writing, her success as ‘Elizabeth’ meant that her writings were ascribed to the name Elizabeth von Arnim.

Elizabeth and Her German Garden was first published in 1898; it was very popular and frequently reprinted during the early years of the 20th century. The story is a year's diary written by the protagonist Elizabeth about her experiences learning gardening and interacting with her friends. This book is followed by The Solitary Summer. The illustrated edition includes watercolors by Simon Harmon Vedder.