''The House of Arden'' is a novel for children written by the English author

E. Nesbit Edith Nesbit (married name Edith Bland; 15 August 1858 – 4 May 1924) was an English writer and poet, who published her books for children as E. Nesbit. She wrote or collaborated on more than 60 such books. She was also a political activist a ...

and published in 1908.

Plot summary

A boy named Edred Arden inherits the title of Lord Arden and the dilapidated Arden Castle. He and his sister Elfrida search for the lost treasure of the Ardens and, with the help of the magical Mouldiwarp, they travel back in time searching for clues. The past events they witness include * 1807:

Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom at the start of the War of the Third Coalition, although never carried out, was a major influence on British naval strategy and the fortification of the coast of southeast England. French attempt ...

, the British military response, and the smuggling around

Dymchurch Dymchurch is a village and civil parish in the Folkestone and Hythe district of Kent, England. The village is located on the coast five miles (8 km) south-west of Hythe, and on the Romney Marsh. History The history of Dymchurch began with ...

Bay (called "Lymchurch" in the story) * c. 1705: a visit from the "Chevalier St. George" (the Old Pretender) during the reign of Queen Anne * 1605: the

Gunpowder Plot The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby who sough ...

and a meeting with Sir Walter Raleigh in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is sep ...

, from which the children escape using the same stratagem that Lady Nithsdale used in 1717 * ca. 1535: a

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. Tr ...

celebration with

Anne Boleyn Anne Boleyn (; 1501 or 1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536, as the second wife of King Henry VIII. The circumstances of her marriage and of her execution by beheading for treason and other charges made her a key ...

and Henry VIII, with premonitions of Anne's execution. The final episode, in which the children rescue their father from a lost civilization in South America, is reminiscent of the legends of El Dorado and other Cities of Gold.

Sequel

A sequel, ''Harding's Luck'', was published in 1909.

Influence

The device of a pair of characters, a brother and a sister named Edred and Elfrida, who travel back in time from Edwardian England, guided by a magical character, Mouldiwarp, always meeting a similar pair of characters in each of the earlier centuries that they visit, is the central plot device in the book.

J. R. R. Tolkien John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (, ; 3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer and philologist. He was the author of the high fantasy works ''The Hobbit'' and ''The Lord of the Rings''. From 1925 to 1945, Tolkien was the Rawlins ...

's unpublished attempt at a time travel novel, ''The Lost Road'' functions in the same way. ''The Lost Road'' has father/son pairs named Edwin/Elwin, Eadwine/ Aelfwine, Audoin/Alboin, Amandil/

Elendil Elendil is a fictional character in J. R. R. Tolkien's legendarium. He is mentioned in ''The Lord of the Rings'', ''The Silmarillion'' and ''Unfinished Tales''. He was the father of Isildur and Anárion, last lord of Andúnië on the island of ...

(all meaning "Bliss-friend/Elf-friend" in Old English, Old High German, and Lombardic). Nesbit's Edred and Elfrida, too, have according to the Tolkien scholar Virginia Luling "intriguing y similar

Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th c ...

names to Tolkien's paired characters; Edred is "Bliss-counsel", while Elfrida is "Elf-strength".

References

External links

* *
''The House of Arden''
at Google Books * 1908 British novels 1908 children's books Books illustrated by H. R. Millar Children's fantasy novels Cultural depictions of Anne Boleyn Cultural depictions of Anne, Queen of Great Britain Cultural depictions of Henry VIII Cultural depictions of Napoleon Cultural depictions of Walter Raleigh English novels Low fantasy novels Novels about time travel Novels by E. Nesbit {{bio-novel-stub