A Jolly

Project GutenbergProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.0

Word count: 37K words
Chapters: 4

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 Jolly by JoshAuthor: ,Language: English, Class: BJ: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Ethics, Social usages, Etiquette, Religion, Release Date: Jan 13, 2006

Editor's review

In the Project Gutenberg catalogue, A Jolly is classed under ethics and social etiquette. It is short and light in tone, a good entry point for readers curious about nineteenth-century English popular moral essays. Its value lies not in systematic philosophical argument but in its warm, readable treatment of everyday conduct, manners and attitudes to life; from it readers can see how "cheerfulness" and "propriety" were understood in that era. The electronic edition was prepared and released by Project Gutenberg, so the text is easy to obtain and suits browsing in spare moments such as a commute or lunch break. Because it is a public-domain English original, the language bears some traces of its period, but on the whole it is not difficult. It is worth reading as a mirror: compare its remarks on managing emotions and social tact with what still applies today and what now seems dated. If you are practising English reading, or are interested in Victorian moral discourse, this little book is worth a look.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English learners who want to practise reading with short English essays
Readers interested in nineteenth-century morality and etiquette
Commuters who like light essays they can pick up and put down
Enthusiasts who study the textual sources of public-domain ebooks

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting systematic ethical theory or academic argument
People who need a modern Chinese translation and are not used to reading English originals
Novel readers looking for plot and storytelling

Reading tips

Read through once without trying to understand every word, grasping the overall tone and themes.
On the second pass, mark unfamiliar words and period expressions, look them up together and make brief notes.
After each section, write two or three sentences on how it differs from, or resembles, life today.
Read it alongside similar essays from Project Gutenberg to observe differences in style.

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 novel or a discursive essay?

In the catalogue it is classed under ethics and social etiquette, so it is discursive, essayistic writing rather than a novel with a complete plot. It is better read as thematic fragments; do not expect a storyline.

How difficult is the English, and what level is needed?

The text is nineteenth-century English, with sentence patterns and vocabulary bearing the marks of its time, but it is short and light in tone. A intermediate level of English reading is enough to attempt it; skip unfamiliar words at first and focus on the gist of each paragraph.

Where does the electronic edition come from, and what should readers note?

The book was prepared and released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain electronic text, so it is easy to obtain. Note that different editions may differ in layout; when quoting, check the exact location of the passage.

Comments

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About the author

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