A History of the Early Part of the Reign of James the Second

Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.5
Word count
363K words
Chapters
37

Tags

English Originals World History Historical ReappraisalPolitical AllegoryPolitical CareerPower GameHistorical MaterialReligious ConflictRoyal SuccessionEnglish History

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 History of the Early Part of the Reign of James the Second by Charles James FoxAuthor: Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806,Language: English, Class: DA: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Great Britain, Ireland, Central Europe, Release Date: Jul 1, 2003

Editor's review

This is an English-language historical work by the British statesman Charles James Fox, focusing on the early part of the reign of James II, released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain ebook. Its value lies in the author's dual identity as both a political practitioner and a historical writer: the narrative carries a distinct Whig stance and parliamentary-political concern, making it useful for understanding how British political figures of the late eighteenth century looked back on the seventeenth-century conflict between crown and Parliament. The text can serve as supplementary material for specialist study of British history, and is also suitable for readers interested in the politics of the later Stuart period. Note that this is historical writing from a particular standpoint and should not be used as a neutral general history; readers should consult other research to discern its selections and evaluations. The language and conventions bear the marks of their era, and the book is recommended for readers with some foundation in British history and English reading ability.

Who it's for

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Reading tips

  1. First understand the timeline and major political events of the early reign of James II, then read the main text.
  2. While reading, record the author's evaluations of Parliament, the crown, and religious issues, and discern his stance.
  3. Read alongside relevant chapters of a modern general history of Britain to correct the narrative emphasis.
  4. Take summary notes chapter by chapter to sort out the author's logic of historical explanation and argumentation.

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.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37

FAQ

Which stages of James II's reign does this book cover? According to the title, the book concentrates on the early part of James II's reign, not his entire reign. The specific chapter range should be based on the ebook's table of contents. If you are concerned with later events such as the Glorious Revolution, you should find specialized works to supplement your reading.
Does the author Fox's political stance affect the narrative? Yes. Fox was a British statesman, and his historical writing carries Whig and parliamentary-political concerns, with frequent evaluations of the expansion of royal power and religious policy. Readers should treat the book as a historically interpreted account with a stance rather than a neutral record, and it is safer to compare it with other historical sources.
Is it suitable as an introductory book on British history? Not very suitable. The book was written early, and its language and conventions differ from contemporary general histories, and it presupposes that readers have some understanding of British political history. Introductory readers should first read modern general histories to build a framework, then use this book as specialist supplement and source comparison.
What practical advice is there for reading the ebook? Public-domain ebooks usually lack modern notes and introductions. It is advisable to read with a chronology of figures and maps, use the search function to locate key persons and events, and jot down the author's evaluative statements for later comparison with secondary research.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Fox, Charles James, 1749-1806 Author · British · 1749–1806

Charles James Fox (Fox, Charles James, 1749–1806) was a British Whig politician, renowned for his eloquence and several times serving as Foreign Secretary. The library holds one work by him, A History of the Early Part of the Reign of James the Second. Drawing on the political and religious conflicts of the early years of James II's reign, the book adopts a distinctly parliamentary perspective; its prose carries the author's oratorical eloquence, with expansive narration and strong argumentative colouring. As only this single work is held here, public information on his life and scholarly background is limited, and no speculation is offered; readers may consider his political career in order to understand the place of this historical work in eighteenth-century British political writing and its influence on later studies of James II.