The Dutchman's Fireside

The Dutchman's Fireside is a novel written by James Kirke Paulding, first published in 1831. The story is set in New York during the 17th century and centers around the Van der School family. The patriarch of the family, Adrian Van der School, is a wealthy merchant who immigrated to America from Holland. He is proud of his Dutch heritage and is determined to maintain his family's traditions and values in the New World.The novel is divided into four parts, each of which tells a different story about the Van der School family. The first part introduces the family and their way of life. The second part tells the story of Adrian's son, William, who falls in love with a young woman named Gertrude. The third part focuses on Adrian's daughter, Katrina, and her marriage to a wealthy Englishman named Edward. The final part of the novel brings all the storylines together and concludes with the family gathered around the fireside, sharing stories and reflecting on their lives.Throughout the novel, Paulding explores themes of family, tradition, love, and the immigrant experience. He also provides a vivid portrayal of life in colonial New York, with detailed descriptions of the landscape, architecture, and social customs of the time. The Dutchman's Fireside is considered a classic of American literature and is often studied in courses on early American literature and culture.There is certainly in the majesty of nature, its hoary rocks, its silent shadowy glens, foaming torrents, and lofty mountains, something that awakens the soul to high contemplation and rouses its slumbering energies. But there is in her gentler beauties, her rich and laughing meadows enamelled with flowers, and joyous with sprightly birds, her waving fields of grain, her noiseless glassy streams, a charm not less delightful and far more lasting than the high wrought enthusiasm of the other. Both have, without doubt, their influence on the human character.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.