Rasselas
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1759
- Form
- Romance and tale
- Language
- English
- Length
- Short · 120 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Moderate2 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe History of Rasselas, Prince of AbissiniaOxford World's Classics, 2009Thomas Keymer's edition, with notes and an introduction on the tale's philosophical and Ethiopian sources.
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Rasselas, a prince of Abyssinia, grows restless in the Happy Valley where the royal children are kept in luxury and escapes with his sister Nekayah, her maid Pekuah and the poet Imlac to make the choice of life. In Cairo and beyond they examine the lives of the rich, the pastoral, the hermit, the philosopher and the sage astronomer who believes he controls the weather, and find that none is happy. Pekuah is kidnapped and ransomed. In a conclusion in which nothing is concluded they decide to return to Abyssinia. Johnson wrote it in a week to pay for his mother's funeral.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Rasselas are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
