Foundling

Written when she was 17, The Foundling is a classic fairy tale set in the imagined kingdom of Verdopolis which will delight fans of Charlotte Brontë’s later work. Abandoned as a baby, Edward Sydney finds a “protector” in Mr. Hasleden, a rich local landowner who declares an interest in the child and claims him as his own. The boy grows up believing Hasleden to be his father, but after his death, Edward discovers evidence of his real name and the circumstances of his birth. Full of curiosity about his true origins, he sets off on a journey to the mythical kingdom of Verdopolis. There, after several adventures, Edward meets and falls in love with the noble Lady Julia, only to find that she is betrothed to another. Charlotte Brontë is best remembered for her perennially popular novel, Jane Eyre.

Charlotte Brontë once wrote, "It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquility: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it." Though she led a quiet life (and died young), Brontë indeed created action in her sweeping, passionate novels, such as the gothic drama Jane Eyre.