Happy Golden Age (Volume 1 and 2) (Volume 1 and 2)

Author: (American) Laura Ingalls Wilder
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-03-01
Features: There is an elderly woman who began writing novels at the age of 65 and continued until she was 75, writing a total of nine books. She did not have a high level of education or rigorous writing training. These nine novels did not feature suspenseful or intricate plots, nor were they adorned with elegant prose. However, the nine books written by this elderly woman have become classic masterpieces in world children's literature. In all parts of the world, countless children have been nourished by love and gained the courage to face the future after reading this series. For many children, this series has even become an indispensable guide and encouragement during their growth. This series, the "Little House" series of novels, is the work of this lovable elderly woman—Laura Ingalls Wilder. Laura was born in Wisconsin, the central part of the United States. At that time, the American Civil War had just ended, and a wave of westward expansion was sweeping across the country. Laura began moving with her parents at the age of two. Before she turned thirteen, she had been to the vast forests of Wisconsin, the Great Plains of Kansas, the banks of the Maquoketa River in Warner Forest, Minnesota, the town of Pepin in Iowa, and the Territory of Dakota. They had lived in log cabins and also in dugouts under the hills. Laura was the second child in her family, with an older sister named Mary, and younger sisters Grace and Carrie, as well as a younger brother named Frederick. Mary lost her sight at the age of fourteen after contracting scarlet fever, and Frederick died at the age of nine. The misfortunes of her sister and brother, combined with the hardships of settling a new home, helped Laura grow from a naive little girl into a strong and brave young woman. At the age of sixteen, to help Mary attend the expensive school for the blind, Laura left home alone to teach. At the same time, she met a steady farm boy named Almanzo Wilder. At the age of eighteen, Laura married Almanzo Wilder, who was ten years older than her, and later they had a daughter named Rose. Laura and Almanzo loved each other deeply, but their early married life was very difficult. They worked together and, after years of struggle, their life gradually improved. Later, they settled in Missouri and built a large house with ten rooms on their farm. At this time, Laura's daughter Rose had also grown up, gotten married, and become a very accomplished journalist. Rose encouraged Laura to write about their pioneer life. They read many pioneer literature works together and discussed writing techniques. Laura began writing novels at the age of sixty-five and, over the next ten years, wrote nine books in the "Little House" series. These nine novels are "Little House in the Big Woods," "Little House on the Prairie," "Farmer Boy," "On the Banks of Plum Creek," "By the Shores of Silver Lake," "The Long Winter," "Little Town on the Prairie," "The First Four Years," and "The Peaceful Valley." Laura's novels were very popular after they were published. By the time she was eighty-seven, the "Little House" series had been translated into multiple languages and published worldwide. In 1957, Laura died on her farm in Missouri at the age of ninety. The "Little House" series can be said to be an autobiography of Laura's early life, with the protagonist Laura embodying the real Laura. Laura begins her story in the Big Woods of Wisconsin, using "Little House in the Big Woods" as the prelude to the series. In this book, Laura observes the little details of life through the innocent eyes of a young girl. The moose and black bears in the Big Woods, the snow of winter, the green buds of spring trees, and the warm glow of the fireplace in the cabin, along with the delicious treats her mother made and her father's melodious piano music, are all sweet memories of Laura's childhood. The second book, "Little House on the Prairie," is the most famous and representative work in the series. It describes Laura's family leaving the Big Woods of Wisconsin and migrating to the Great Plains of Kansas in a covered wagon, which is a typical portrayal of the American westward settlers of that time. During this move, Laura's family narrowly escaped danger while crossing flooded rivers. After arriving in the Great Plains, they also encountered Native Americans and suffered from wolf attacks, grassland fires, and the ravages of heat exhaustion. However, in the end, they settled into the log cabin her father built and spent a sweet time living off the land by hunting. The third book, "Farmer Boy," features Laura's husband, Almanzo Wilder. Almanzo was a farm boy from New York. In the book, Laura vividly describes Almanzo's experience of attending school in the sky and the pride he felt when he received his own horse, which he also tamed. Additionally, through the account of Almanzo's growth, Laura expresses her views on the value of money—fifty cents was equivalent to working many hours in a potato field for Almanzo. The fourth book, "On the Banks of Plum Creek," describes Laura's family leaving the Great Plains and traveling through Missouri, Iowa, to Minnesota, where they settled by the Maquoketa River. During their time on the banks of Plum Creek, Laura's family lived in a dugout, and all of her father's crops were eaten by locusts, leaving the family in dire straits. Eventually, her father had to leave for work in the East. At this point, Laura was already eight years old, so the perspective of the narrative changes as Laura grows, making the challenges of life and the strength of the family more tangible to her. Additionally, Laura and Mary began attending school, and their relationships expanded beyond the family. The fifth book, "By the Shores of Silver Lake," tells the story of Laura's family leaving the banks of Plum Creek and moving to the shores of Silver Lake in the Territory of Dakota. From the banks of Plum Creek to Silver Lake, Laura did not travel in a covered wagon but by train, which was her first time riding a train. At this time, Laura was almost thirteen years old, and since Mary was blind, Laura's personality had changed noticeably. She no longer had a sister to rely on or the right to be willful and childish, so Laura had a deeper understanding of growing up and learned to face the things she did not like but had to do. Additionally, for the whole family, life on Silver Lake brought them new hope—her father could apply for a hundred and sixty-acre parcel of land here. The sixth book, "The Long Winter." Just after Laura's father applied for land on Silver Lake and built a log cabin, a terrible blizzard came. At that time, Laura's family lived in a small town not far from Silver Lake, and the blizzard trapped the town, cutting off all communication for seven months. During these seven months, Laura's family had no food and could only survive on a little wheat mush; they had no firewood and had to burn hay to stay warm. They struggled every day to stay alive, and her father even cracked his hands while twisting hay bales, making it impossible for him to play the violin. This time, the solution to their problems came from two boys in the town, who risked freezing to death or getting lost while riding out of town to bring back food. One of the boys was Almanzo. After "The Long Winter," the hardships gradually faded, and Laura's family slowly entered a better life. As the tide of settlers surged, the small town near Silver Lake gradually prospered, forming the town of De Smet. Laura wrote about this period in the seventh book, "Little Town on the Prairie." In "Little Town on the Prairie," Laura is fifteen years old, and she makes friends with other girls and boys at school and begins to pay attention to her appearance. The sensitivity and rebelliousness of adolescence make her realize the importance of self-control. At the same time, her parents saved enough money to send Mary to the school for the blind. Mary's departure deepened the sisterly bond, and Laura worked hard to study and earn money to help Mary stay in school, eventually becoming a teacher. At the end of the story, Laura unexpectedly gets a teaching job and prepares to leave home. The last two books in the "Little House" series are "The Happy Golden Years" and "The First Four Years." "The Happy Golden Years" describes Laura's first experience of teaching alone outside her home. At this time, Almanzo was already pursuing Laura, and he drove a carriage to pick Laura up from school every week and take her back, gradually deepening their subtle feelings. At the end of the story, Laura and Almanzo got married, and she truly left her parents and entered a new stage of life with Almanzo. "The First Four Years" is a manuscript discovered after Laura's death. This manuscript describes the little details of Laura and Almanzo's life in the first four years of their marriage. During these four years, Laura and Almanzo's life was very hard. They suffered from the destruction of their house by fire, a drought, both falling ill, and the death of their son. The only comfort they had was the healthy growth of their daughter, Rose. However, Laura and Almanzo were not defeated by one after another. With their deep love as their support, they remained hopeful and brave, facing the future together and creating their own home. From a pioneer girl to a world-renowned children's literature author, Laura's life story is full of twists and turns. The "Little House" series fully embodies the spirit of perseverance in pioneering. With her delicate and sincere writing style, Laura brings the growth of a girl to life, and more importantly, she vividly portrays the love between parents and siblings, the subtle and enduring love between Laura and Almanzo, as well as the diligence, courage, and reverence for nature of the people during the pioneering era. The value of the "Little House" series lies in the fact that it not only records the history of American pioneering but also records personal growth. In fact, it wasn't just Laura who lived through the pioneering era; our ancestors also used their hands and sweat to carve out a beautiful home and passed it down to their descendants. When we look back at their lives, we see how they tilled the land, hunted, sewed, built houses, and dug wells—through countless tests of life, people were tempered to be wiser and to cherish and appreciate more. The "Little House" series doesn't have many plots, but it is a wonderful, enjoyable, and enduring classic in world children's literature. The text is full of wit and touches on many interests that adolescents care about, such as nature, adventure, animals, family, and growth, which can greatly pique their reading interest and is a highly valuable book that benefits their pursuit of knowledge and growth. Today, we publish the "Little House" series, hoping that readers can, through Laura's growth, re-examine their relationships with their family and nature. We also hope that readers can draw inspiration from this difficult pioneering journey and, in this modern society of material excess and distant relationships, find simplicity, courage, resilience, and love!