The Merman and the Figure-Head by Clara F. Guernsey
"The Merman and the Figure-Head" by Clara F. Guernsey is a fictional narrative likely written in the late 19th century. The story intertwines myth and reality, exploring themes of love and identity through the experiences of a young merman who becomes enchanted by a wooden figure-head of a sea-nymph on a ship, which he believes to be a divine being. The tale blends adventure and romance, with a focus on the merman's
internal struggles as he navigates his feelings for this inanimate representation of idealized beauty. At the start of the story, we meet Master Isaac Torrey, a merchant from Salem, who decides to name his new ship “The Sea-nymph.” As he visits Job Chippit, the wood-carver, to discuss the ship's elaborate figure-head, their humorous exchange delves into the nature of sea-nymphs and their place in myth. Meanwhile, in the sea kingdom, a handsome merman becomes enamored with the figure-head after it is complete, mistaking it for a living goddess. This infatuation leads him on a tumultuous journey, reflecting his struggles between the allure of the wood-carved nymph and the reality of love among the merfolk—all underlined by comedic elements typical of Guernsey’s style. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Guernsey, Clara F. (Clara Florida), 1836-1893 |
|---|---|
| Title | The Merman and the Figure-Head |
| Note | Reading ease score: 81.1 (6th grade). Easy to read. |
| Note | The first part of this combined volume is available as #53899. |
| Credits |
Produced by David Edwards, Stephen Hutcheson, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Books project.) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres |
| Subject | Fantasy fiction |
| Subject | Children's stories |
| Subject | Mermaids -- Juvenile fiction |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 53901 |
| Release Date | Jan 6, 2017 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 170 downloads in the last 30 days. |
| Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free! | |
