📚 Get the book from this episode: The King of the Golden River by John Ruskin. Buying through Bookshop.org supports independent bookstores and this podcast. 📖 Read it for free at this link. ⭐ Support the podcast with a paid subscription: Subscribe here ## Description It’s the fourth Sunday of the month, so it’s story time! This week I read John Ruskin’s fairy tale The King of the Golden River. Last time we heard Ruskin tell us that art should ennoble us and make us better people, so now let’s see if his own story can do that. Two cruel brothers, Hans and Schwartz, ruin the beautiful Treasure Valley with their greed, while their little brother Gluck is kind to a strange visitor, melts down his golden mug, and meets the King of the Golden River himself. Who will reach the source of the river, and what makes water truly holy? This episode’s video includes new illustrations and animations of the story’s scenes. “The water which has been refused to the cry of the weary and dying is unholy, though it had been blessed by every saint in heaven; and the water which is found in the vessel of mercy is holy.” Chapters: 00:00 Hook: “Whoever shall climb to the top of that mountain” 00:24 Intro: paid subscriptions and book links 02:36 Why John Ruskin and The King of the Golden River 04:25 Chapter I: South-West Wind, Esquire, visits the Black Brothers 21:29 Chapter II: Gluck meets the King of the Golden River 33:06 Chapter III: Hans sets off for the Golden River 43:39 Chapter IV: Schwartz sets off for the Golden River 48:11 Chapter V: Little Gluck’s journey 56:23 Closing thoughts Wisdom in the Best Books and Films: bite-sized nuggets of truth from great books and films, used to help us become better people. Hosted by Jake Bair. Read or listen on Substack: https://wisdominbestbooks.substack.com ⭐ Paid subscription: https://wisdominbestbooks.substack.com/subscribe Questions, recommendations, or comments: wisdominbestbooks@gmail.com If you enjoyed this, please subscribe and share it with someone who’d like it. ## Tags The King of the Golden River, John Ruskin, fairy tale, short story read aloud, Gluck, Treasure Valley, Victorian literature, kindness, mercy, greed, classic literature, audiobook, Wisdom in the Best Books and Films Get full access to Wisdom in the Best Books and Films at wisdominbestbooks.substack.com/subscribe
