A Good-For-Nothing

Boyesen, Hjalmar Hjorth, 1848-1895Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 56K words
Chapters: 6

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 Good-For-Nothing by Hjalmar Hjorth BoyesenAuthor: Boyesen, Hjalmar Hjorth, 1848-1895,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Oct 24, 2007

Editor's review

A Good-For-Nothing is a novel by the Norwegian-American writer Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen (1848–1895), released by Project Gutenberg as an English-language ebook and classified under American and Canadian literature. Boyesen combined a Nordic cultural background with American writing experience, and this dual identity often gives his work a cross-cultural vantage point in characterization and moral judgment. The title points directly to the motif of the "good-for-nothing," and the narrative revolves around social judgment and personal worth; it will appeal to readers interested in questions of identity, class, and morality in nineteenth-century American literature. As a public-domain work, it is better read as a literary text than as a popular page-turner: the language and narrative carry the marks of their era, the pace is slow, and the portrayal of psychology and social setting rewards close attention. Readers are advised to place it within the tradition of American immigrant literature and to note how the author uses the label "good-for-nothing" to reflect back on society's definition of success. Overall, this is a classic novel of moderate length, suited to quiet, attentive reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in nineteenth-century American immigrant literature and cross-cultural writing
Novel readers drawn to themes of identity, class, and personal worth
Students and researchers who need a public-domain English text for literary analysis
Readers who enjoy a leisurely pace, character portrayal, and moral reflection

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking dense plotting and strong dramatic conflict
Beginning readers unfamiliar with nineteenth-century English narrative conventions
Readers hoping for direct answers to contemporary psychological or social questions

Reading tips

Start from the title clue of the "good-for-nothing" and note, as you read, how society's judgment of the protagonist shifts.
Read the work against the background of American immigrant literature and watch for the author's Nordic cultural perspective.
Excerpt key dialogues and compare how different characters define "usefulness" and "success."
If the English is hard going, read a chapter summary before the original text to ease frustration.

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

What does "A Good-For-Nothing" mean?

The title can be understood as "a useless person" or "a person good for nothing," pointing to society's judgment of a certain kind of character. What exactly it refers to must be understood in light of the novel's characters and plot; the materials provide no further plot details.

What is the author Boyesen's background?

The materials give his dates as 1848–1895 and classify the work under American and Canadian literature. He had Norwegian roots and American writing experience, and this background helps in understanding his cross-cultural perspective; further biographical details are not covered in the materials.

How is this book different from other Gutenberg books?

It is likewise a free Project Gutenberg ebook; the differences lie mainly in the author and the text itself. The materials offer no information on edition differences, so readers may treat it as an ordinary public-domain English novel.

What if I find the English original hard to get into?

First get a sense of the plot and the characters' relationships, then read in sections; a dictionary can help with long sentences. The book's pace is slow, so try reading one chapter at a time and keep going rather than wrestling with every word.

Comments

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About the author

Boyesen, Hjalmar Hjorth, 1848-1895 Author

Hjalmar Hjorth Boyesen (1848–1895) was a Norwegian-born author, with seven works included in this collection. His representative works span fiction, essays and children's books: the novels A Good-For-Nothing, Ilka on the Hill-Top and Other Stories and Tales from Two Hemispheres; the essay collection Essays on Scandinavian Literature; and Nordic-themed books for young readers such as The Story of Norway, The Modern Vikings: Stories of Life and Sport in the Norseland and Boyhood in Norway: Stories of Boy-Life in the Land of the Midnight Sun. Public information on his life is limited, yet his works show an interest in Norwegian landscapes and everyday town and country life, written in a plain and restrained style, and a gift for portraying Nordic life and outdoor sport in stories for children and young people. His writing on Scandinavian literature and scenery offered English-language readers an accessible window onto Norwegian culture.