The Water-Babies (Magill’s Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy Literature)
At a glance:
- Author: Charles Kingsley
- First Published: 1863
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Fantasy—evolutionary fantasy
- Time of Work: Indeterminate
- Setting: England and the North Atlantic
- Genres: Long fiction, Fantasy
- Subjects: Maturation or coming of age, Folkloric or magical people, Supernatural, Nineteenth century, England or English people, Christianity, Fantasy, Atlantic Ocean, Rites or ceremonies, Orphans or orphanages, Metamorphosis or transmogrification, Fairy tales, Victorian era or Victorianism, Evolution, Lobsters, Fairies
- Locales: England, Oceans
The Plot
In a wealthy estate in the North Country of England, an abusive chimney sweeper, Mr. Grimes, sends his mischievous apprentice, Tom, into a chimney. The boy becomes lost in a labyrinth of interconnected tunnels and eventually exits through the fireplace in a little girl’s bedroom, where he sees (for the first time in his life) pictures of Jesus Christ. The girl, Ellie, wakes up suddenly and screams, prompting Tom to flee through a window. He makes his way to a neighboring town, to the house of the local schoolteacher, who gives him food and a place to sleep. That...
[The entire page is 1008 words long]
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