Cover of Legends and Tales by Bret Harte Ebook Legends and Tales
Ebook · Sovereign

Legends and Tales

Author
Bret Harte
Series
World Classics
Language
English
Length
54 pages
ISBN
9781911535119
Published
15 September 2016
Imprint
Sovereign
  • Bret Harte
  • stories
  • tales
  • satire
  • humour
  • social
  • justice
  • society
  • historical
  • American classic

Description

Legends and Tales is a collection of short stories and folklore-inspired narratives by Bret Harte, showcasing his talent for blending regional color, humor, and moral insight. Set primarily in the American West and mining towns of California, the tales feature larger-than-life characters—gamblers, outcasts, pioneers, and dreamers—whose lives are shaped by fate, fortune, and the rugged frontier landscape. Drawing on oral traditions and local legends, Harte weaves stories rich in sentiment, irony, and vivid atmosphere. Themes of loyalty, justice, and human resilience echo throughout, capturing the spirit of a bygone era. This lesser-known but compelling collection further cements Harte’s role as a master storyteller and chronicler of the Old West.

Author

Bret Harte (1836–1902) gave American literature one of its first great regional voices — the Gold Rush West rendered in short stories of luck, loyalty, and moral surprise. He saw California not as empty wilderness but as a theatre of human character: outcasts who discover dignity, camps that become temporary homes, and sentiment that arrives when least expected.

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