Project Gutenberg 2008-06-29 Public domain in the USA. 315 Taylor, Bayard 1825 1878 Taylor, James Bayard Taylor, J. B. Taylor, J.B. Beauty and the Beast, and Tales of Home Beauty and the beast -- Strange friend -- Jacob Flint's journey -- Can a life hide itself? -- Twin-love -- Experience of A.C. -- Friend Eli's daughter -- Miss Bartram's trouble -- Mrs. Strongitharm's report. Produced by Mike Lough and David Widger "Beauty and the Beast" by Bayard Taylor is a novel that intertwines fact and fancy, presenting a narrative set in mid-19th century Russia. The story engages with themes of love, power dynamics, and societal customs, focused on the characters of Prince Alexis, his wife Princess Martha, and their son Prince Boris. It explores the complexities of their lives within the context of Russian nobility and serfdom, revealing the interpersonal struggles and emotions that shape their world. The opening portion introduces us to Kinesma, a town on the Volga, where Prince Alexis finds himself in turmoil over a postponed dinner. His comedic insistence on avoiding a festival for his son leads to a series of events involving a drunken bear and a harried court-poet, setting the stage for the whimsical yet dark environment of the castle. As the narrative unfolds, we witness the egocentric behaviors of Alexis, the meekness of Princess Martha, and the cowardly nature of Boris, all richly painted against the backdrop of Russian culture and humor. The tone oscillates between severe brutality and lighthearted farce, foreshadowing the transformations that will occur as their lives progress. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 77.0 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Short stories United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction PS Text Category: Novels Category: Russian Literature 593524 2025-07-01T04:54:00.517817 text/html 609018 2021-01-28T02:42:51 text/html; charset=utf-8 211188 2021-01-28T02:42:51 text/html; charset=utf-8 application/zip 289434 2025-07-01T04:54:08.824724 application/epub+zip 298856 2025-07-01T04:54:03.503728 application/epub+zip 293531 2025-07-01T04:54:02.320753 application/epub+zip 552698 2025-07-01T04:54:13.149725 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 520528 2025-07-01T04:54:08.083718 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 489334 2022-09-01T05:14:08.978913 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 517880 2025-07-01T04:53:59.688782 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 517800 2018-03-16T11:37:34 text/plain; charset=utf-8 201724 2018-03-16T11:38:16 text/plain; charset=utf-8 application/zip 513048 2008-06-29T12:22:34 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 201153 2008-06-29T12:25:44 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 20930 2025-07-01T04:54:13.278678 application/rdf+xml 16241 2025-07-01T04:54:02.817717 image/jpeg 3878 2025-07-01T04:54:02.565724 image/jpeg 283632 2025-07-01T04:54:00.560801 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia