Now playing: The Dragon of Wantley

On the Bestselling Audiobooks chart: The Dragon of Wantley by Owen Wister — stream the complete recording, no account.

The Dragon of Wantley is a 17th century satirical verse parody about a dragon and a brave knight.n It was included in Thomas Percy’s 1767 Reliques of Ancient Poetry.n The poem is a parody of medieval romances and satirizes a local churchman.n In the poem, a dragon appears in Yorkshire and eats children and cattle. The knight More of More Hall battles the dragon and kills it.n A novel, “The Dragon of Wantley”,n was written by Owen Wister (best known as the author of “The Virginian”) in 1892. Published by Lipincott Press, the story is a comic “burlesque” (in the author’s words),n concerning the “true” story of the Dragon.n It is a romantic story set at Christmastime in the early 13th century.n The recording was a surprise success, going through four editions over the next ten years.n

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