Tales of the Alhambra
Author | : Washington Irving |
Publisher | : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform |
Total Pages | : 314 |
Release | : 2016-08-21 |
ISBN-10 | : 1537146246 |
ISBN-13 | : 9781537146249 |
Rating | : 4/5 (46 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: Rough draughts of some of the following tales and essays were actually written during a residence in the Alhambra; others were subsequently added, founded on notes and observations made there. Care was taken to maintain local coloring and verisimilitude; so that the whole might present a faithful and living picture of that microcosm, that singular little world into which I had been fortuitously thrown; and about which the external world had a very imperfect idea. It was my endeavor scrupulously to depict its half Spanish, half Oriental character; its mixture of the heroic, the poetic, and the grotesque; to revive the traces of grace and beauty fast fading from its walls; to record the regal and chivalrous traditions concerning those who once trod its courts; and the whimsical and superstitious legends of the motley race now burrowing among its ruins.