Humor Grahame, Kenneth: The Headswoman. v2. 06 Dec 2015

[GrannyGrump]

The Headswoman by Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932)

By the author of “The Wind in the Willows,” “The Golden Age,” “Dream Days,” “Pagan Papers.”

First published 1898.
Version 2 revised December 2015 to remove illustrations still under copyright in “Life+70” countries.
The text of this book is in the public domain in countries where copyright is “Life+80” or less, and in the USA.

-------------------
This novella depicts a medieval village whose executioner—a beautiful woman—wins the hearts of those she must kill. Upon publication, Literary World deemed the book, "A delightful little tale with a tinge of satire in it. For gracefulness of style and charm in the telling of a story it is in the front rank, and that is saying a great deal.” (—Book jacket blurb)

The town’s executioner has died, and his eighteen-year-old daughter steps into the hereditary position — the situation is ripe for satire. A sly look at gender-based roles and social customs, this short humorous tale is a bit different from most of Grahame’s work, and readers expecting whimsey or nostalgia should perhaps seek elsewhere. When a medieval Seigneur speaks of “bloated capitalists,” you know you are in unusual territory.

---------------------
Text from Project Gutenberg. Formatted punctuation, restored italics and diacritics. Annotated translations of French and Latin phrases. Chapter heads are cross-linked to in-line Table of Contents. Embedded fonts for titling and caps
.

This work is assumed to be in the Life+70 public domain OR the copyright holder has given specific permission for distribution. Copyright laws differ throughout the world, and it may still be under copyright in some countries. Before downloading, please check your country's copyright laws. If the book is under copyright in your country, do not download or redistribute this work.

To report a copyright violation you can contact us here.