Victorian author Charlotte Yonge was born on this date in 1823 (d. 1901). She was extremely prolific, author of over 120 books in addition to children’s stories, Sunday School materials, and other writings. She taught Sunday School for over seventy years to children of the village where she lived out her life. Her books are, I gather from my reading, too Victorian and Christian and didactic to be very popular nowadays, but they were enormously popular in Victorian England. She loved history and wrote many volumes of history, especially history stories for young children. I read a bit of one of her books online at Project Gutenberg, a book called Young Folks’ History of England. I thought it was delightful–even though I couldn’t agree with her characterizations of all the kings she writes about. Here’s an excerpt to give you a sample:
About Henry V The young King Henry was full of high, good thoughts. He was devout in going to church, tried to make good Bishops, gave freely to the
poor, and was so kindly, and hearty, and merry in all his words and ways, that everyone loved him. Still, he thought it was his duty to go and make war in France. He had been taught to believe the kingdom belonged to him, and it was in so wretched a state that he thought he could do it good. The poor king, Charles VI., was mad, and had a wicked wife besides; and his sons, and uncles, and cousins were always fighting, till the streets of Paris were often red with blood, and the whole country was miserable. Henry hoped to set all in order for them, and gathering an army together, crossed to Normandy.
Here are some titles of books by Yonge; I truly enjoyed reading just the titles, so evocative of a bygone era.
Aunt Charlotte’s Stories of English History for the Little Ones
Aunt Charlotte’s Stories of German History for the Little Ones
(and Greek and French and Roman, etc.)
Burnt Out: A Story for Mother’s Meetings
Aunt Charlotte’s Evenings at Home with the Poets
How to Teach the New Testament
Stray Pearls
Given to Hospitality
Spring Buds: Counsels for the Young
The Penniless Princesses
The Crossroads, or a Choice in Life
The Patriots of Palestine, a Story of the Maccabees
Reasons Why I am a Catholic and not a Roman Catholic
Willie’s Trouble and How He Came Out of It
Don’t those titles take you back in time? The books themselves may be pure drivel, but I plan to add Yonge’s most famous novel, The Heir of Redclyffe to my legendary and growing Reading List. She may simply be too pious, in the best sense of the word, for our modern and post-modern sensibilities.