A Master's Degree

Margaret Hill McCarterProject Gutenberg · United StatesMar 2023

3.1

Word count: 297K words
Chapters: 30

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 Master's Degree by Margaret Hill McCarterAuthor: McCarter, Margaret Hill, 1860-1938,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jun 1, 1998

Editor's review

"A Master's Degree" is a short novel by the American writer Margaret Hill McCarter, whose work centers on life in the American Midwest and is marked by strong local color and an unassuming warmth of human feeling. Taking "degree" as its central motif, the story examines education, ambition, and personal growth within the context of everyday life; it succeeds not through dramatic conflict but through plain narration and an authentic sense of its characters' circumstances. For readers new to early twentieth-century Midwestern American literature, it is an accessible entry point: modest in length, clear in language, and capable of conveying in a short read the narrative interest and values of regional American fiction of that period. This is the English electronic edition released by Project Gutenberg, well suited as a first work for understanding McCarter's fiction.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Midwestern American regional literature
Readers curious about early twentieth-century American fiction
Language learners seeking short English texts for reading practice
General readers drawn to themes of education and growth

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer strong plots and suspenseful twists
Readers who want a Chinese translation rather than English
Readers uninterested in early American regional subjects

Reading tips

Begin with the author's background and her connection to Midwestern regional color to grasp the narrative tone more easily.
While reading, note the symbolic meaning of the "degree" in the characters' lives and consider how education and ambition are presented.
As an English text, read it in sections and note new vocabulary to combine language learning with literary appreciation.

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 kind of writer is McCarter?

Margaret Hill McCarter (1860–1938) was an American writer whose work draws largely on Midwestern life and carries a distinct regional color, as this story shows.

Is this book suitable for English learners?

Yes. It is short and plainly narrated, with language that is generally manageable; it can serve as practice material for an English-language short story, ideally read with a dictionary.

What themes does "A Master's Degree" explore?

The story revolves around the motif of the "degree," presenting education, ambition, and personal growth within everyday life; its focus lies not in plot conflict but in the characters' circumstances and value choices.

Comments

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About the author

Margaret Hill McCarter Author · American · 1860–1938

Margaret Hill McCarter (1860–1938) was an American teacher and novelist. Born in Carthage, Indiana, in 1860 and died in Topeka, Kansas, in 1938, she lived and wrote in Topeka for many years. She is known for novels depicting the history of the Kansas prairie, including The Price of the Prairie, Vanguards of the Plains, and The Reclaimers, as well as A Master's Degree and Winning the Wilderness. Five of her works are held in this collection, commonly categorized under inspirational growth. Her fiction often draws on Kansas pioneer days and the old Santa Fe Trail, unfolding her characters' growth and struggles against a historical backdrop. In 1920 she became the first woman to address a Republican National Convention. Public information on her early education and specific experiences is limited.