A Dead Reckoning

Speight, T. W. (Thomas Wilkinson), 1830-1915Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 278K words
Chapters: 28

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.A Dead Reckoning by T. W. SpeightAuthor: Speight, T. W. (Thomas Wilkinson), 1830-1915,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Aug 21, 2018

Editor's review

Speight was a prolific British novelist of the late nineteenth century, and A Dead Reckoning belongs to the strand of plotted fiction he excelled in; the title itself hints at both a nautical term and the dual pull of suspense. The work is presented in its original English, its narrative pace bearing the typical features of late Victorian popular fiction: clues laid out in fine detail, tangled relationships among characters, and endings that often hinge on a crucial "reckoning" or the revelation of truth. Its value for readers lies in offering a sample for observing the narrative techniques of popular literature of the period, rather than in pursuing psychological depth in the modern sense. It suits readers interested in nineteenth-century British popular fiction, melodramatic structure, or old-style suspense as a supplement to their genre reading. As the original publication dates from an early period, some social attitudes and modes of expression are distant from contemporary readers; it is best read with historical contextualization, without judging it harshly by present-day standards.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy Victorian popular fiction and melodrama
Literature students studying nineteenth-century British narrative technique
Genre readers who prefer a slow pace and the pleasure of piecing together clues
Advanced learners who need original English texts for reading practice

Not a good fit for

Modern suspense readers seeking a fast pace and strong twists
General readers accustomed to Chinese translations who do not read the English original
Readers sensitive to the social attitudes of an older era

Reading tips

Read a few chapters first to map the relationships between characters before the plot advances; this reduces confusion.
Note how the title's "reckoning" echoes through the narrative, and treat it as a clue to understanding the structure.
After finishing, revisit the key turning points to appreciate how the old-style plotted novel plants its foreshadowing.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a suspense novel?

It is closer to late Victorian plotted fiction, with elements of suspense and revelation of truth, but its pace and method belong to the nineteenth-century popular literature tradition, unlike the modern detective suspense genre; expectations should be adjusted accordingly.

Do I need to know the author's other works first?

No. Speight's works can generally be read independently, and this book does not depend on prior background. If you want to understand his style, choosing another work for comparison after finishing this one works better.

How difficult is the English?

The original is nineteenth-century English, with long sentences and period diction and social scenes, more difficult than contemporary popular fiction. Readers with a college-level English reading foundation can work through it with reference tools; beginners are advised to slow down and read in sections.

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About the author

Speight, T. W. (Thomas Wilkinson), 1830-1915 Author

T. W. Speight (Thomas Wilkinson Speight, 1830–1915) was a nineteenth-century British novelist, with 22 of his works held in this collection. Public information about him is limited, so biographical details are difficult to set out; his surviving titles nonetheless reveal the character of his writing. His novels revolve around secrets, suspense and emotional entanglements. Titles such as The Secret of Wyvern Towers, The Mysteries of Heron Dyke and The Loudwater Tragedy suggest a strong vein of mystery and dramatic tension, while A Secret of the Sea and Under Lock and Key show his fondness for images of the sea and of locks and keys to create atmosphere. Subtitles like “A Novel of Incident” and “A Romance” indicate his preference for incident-driven plots and romance, placing him in the readable strand of Victorian popular fiction. These works offered contemporary readers entertaining fare and remain samples of nineteenth-century British popular literature.