Marigold : A story by Edith Allonby
"Marigold : A story by Edith Allonby" by Edith Allonby is a fantastical allegorical novel written in the early 20th century. Set in Lucifram—a contrarian shadow-world near Hell—the tale blends satire of religion and power with a fairy-tale sensibility. It follows Marigold, a spirited princess who disguises herself as a beggar to pursue and test the revered High Priest Alphonso, while the enigmatic St Armand and the coldly brilliant Prince Plucritus weave
larger designs. The opening of Marigold introduces Lucifram’s ruler, Prince Plucritus, his glittering web over the world, and his austere consort Vestné, then pauses for a sharp interlude on Eve, obedience, and the making of woman. We see Plucritus and Vestné plot to strengthen their “net,” hinting at Alphonso’s role as a gatekeeper. The story then shifts to Marigold of Ellel, who, bored by luxury, dons rags to seek the High Priest’s attention, boldly begs him after vespers, and later faces his cool scrutiny in the Palace after a humiliating meal among the poor. A chance encounter in the Temple grounds with a small, chillingly charismatic stranger (St Armand) unsettles her, while her tender visit to a dying neighbor boy reveals her compassion. Parallel scenes show Alphonso and St Armand discussing a haunted Marble House and an old friend, and at dawn St Armand slips, catlike, through Friar’s Court to observe the sleeping Marigold, foreshadowing a contest of influence around her. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Allonby, Edith, 1875-1905 |
|---|---|
| Title | Marigold : A story |
| Original Publication | London: Greening & Co., Ltd., 1905. |
| Series Title | Lucifram, 2 |
| Credits | Ed Foster, Mary Glenn Krause, Julie Turner and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at www.pgdp.net |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 83.0 (6th grade). Easy to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PR: Language and Literatures: English literature |
| Subject | Fantasy fiction |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 76409 |
| Release Date | Jun 28, 2025 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 233 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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