3 h 28 minAudiobook4 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A dragon troubles the Yorkshire countryside, but chivalry itself may have trouble keeping a straight face.
In The Dragon of Wantley, Owen Wister turns an old English ballad into a short comic romance. A monstrous beast troubles the countryside, and local people must deal with it. Knights, villagers and love share the scene with a dragon whose enormous appetite gives fear a comic edge.
This is old England viewed with a sly wink. Wister borrows castles, quests and fair ladies, then finds the fun in their heroic trappings. The pleasure lies in watching a merry folk tale play with the grand manners of romance, without asking you to take its exaggerations too seriously.
What you’ll discover
- Chivalry with a wink Enjoy knights and quests in a tale that finds laughter beneath their grand appearances.
- A beast with appetite Meet a monstrous dragon whose hunger makes it a lively figure of fear and comedy.
- An old legend at play Explore a Yorkshire folk tale reshaped into a light romance full of playful exaggeration.
- Love among the laughter Find romance alongside villagers, knights and the decidedly awkward problem of a very large beast.
- Another side of Wister Discover the author of The Virginian enjoying old English legend and mock-medieval fun.
Who will love it
For readers who love mock-heroic humor, old English legends and light, playful storytelling. It is also a fine pick for fans of Wister who want to see a different side of him.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A folk ballad becomes a book
- A romance told with a wink
- The dragon as a figure of appetite and fear
- How to read it for pleasure
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- Audiobook
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- 15-minute summary
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- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
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- Large print hardcover
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Le Dragon de Wantley
by Owen Wister · 1892
A monstrous dragon troubles the Yorkshire countryside, where villagers must deal with a very hungry beast.
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In short
The Dragon of Wantley is a short comic romance by Owen Wister, published in 1892. Wister is better known for The Virginian, a novel of the American West.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A folk ballad becomes a book
The story starts long before Wister. The Dragon of Wantley is an old English ballad, tied to the area around Wantley in Yorkshire. It was printed and sung in many versions, and it was always meant to amuse. The tale has a dragon, a place, and a local hero, and it is told in a bouncing, comic style.
Ballads like this one passed from singer to singer. Each teller could add a joke, stretch a detail or make the beast a little more outrageous. That habit of playful exaggeration is part of the tale's character. The dragon was never meant to terrify anyone for long.
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What is The Dragon of Wantley about?
It is a comic romance based on an old English ballad about a dragon in the Yorkshire countryside. Owen Wister retells the legend as a lighthearted story with knights, villagers, love and a great deal of humor.
Who wrote The Dragon of Wantley?
Owen Wister wrote it. He was an American author, best known for his Western novel The Virginian. His version of this English legend appeared in 1892 and shows a very different side of his writing.
Is The Dragon of Wantley based on a true story?
No. It comes from an old English ballad and folk legend, tied to the Wantley area of Yorkshire. The dragon is a comic invention, and Wister's book retells the tale as a playful romance.
The author
Owen Wister
1860–1938 · American Western novelist
Owen Wister was an American novelist, Philadelphia-born and a friend of Theodore Roosevelt, whose The Virginian effectively founded the modern Western — its laconic cowboy hero and Wyoming setting became the template for an entire genre.
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