A Visit to Java

Worsfold, W. Basil (William Basil), 1858-1939Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 299K 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 Visit to Java by W. Basil WorsfoldAuthor: Worsfold, W. Basil (William Basil), 1858-1939,Language: English, Class: DS: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Asia, Release Date: Nov 4, 2008

Editor's review

This is a late nineteenth-century travel account of Java by the English author W. Basil Worsfold, issued as a free public-domain eBook by Project Gutenberg. It is not a modern practical guide but a set of observations shaped by a colonial perspective, recording the author's impressions of Java's landscapes, towns, roads, local society and colonial administration. Its value is both historical and stylistic: on one hand it shows how Europeans of the period viewed and narrated Southeast Asia; on the other, its elegant English prose makes it useful material for developing a feel for English nonfiction. The book inevitably carries the prejudices and Eurocentric viewpoint of its time, so readers should read critically and distinguish the author's judgments from factual description. It suits readers interested in Southeast Asian history, travel literature and colonial studies, as well as advanced learners who want to practise reading short English original texts. Being a public-domain electronic text, it has no modern notes or maps, so some background knowledge of Javan geography is advisable beforehand.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Southeast Asian history and colonial-era travel literature
Advanced English learners who want intensive reading practice with original travel accounts
Researchers studying how nineteenth-century Europeans wrote about Java
Nonfiction readers who enjoy slow reading of old texts and can tolerate period prejudices

Not a good fit for

Tourists seeking practical Java travel tips, transport and accommodation information
Readers who accept only modern-value narratives and are sensitive to colonial discourse
Beginners who need modern notes, maps and an introduction

Reading tips

Look up basic Javan geography and colonial history before starting to reduce unfamiliarity.
Record factual descriptions separately from the author's evaluations to support critical reading.
Read a short section each day and copy out long English sentences, combining language learning with digesting the content.
Read alongside modern works on Southeast Asian history to test the limits of the old text's perspective.

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 travel guide?

No. It is a late nineteenth-century travel observation account focused on the author's impressions of and comments on Javan life and colonial administration. It contains no modern transport, accommodation or price information and cannot be used as a practical guide.

How difficult is the English?

It is nineteenth-century English nonfiction prose, with long sentences and fairly formal wording, but the narrative is generally clear. Readers with a university-level English reading base can attempt it; long sentences can be broken up and a dictionary will make reading smoother.

Can the views in the book be fully trusted?

Not advisable. The author carries the Eurocentric and colonial perspective common to his era, and his judgments about local society are mixed with prejudice. It is best to separate concrete observations from the author's evaluations and check them against modern research.

Which edition is this, and does it have notes?

This is the public-domain English electronic text released by Project Gutenberg, listed as released on November 4, 2008, with a 2019 entry. Such editions usually have no modern notes, maps or introduction, so readers must supply background material themselves.

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About the author

Worsfold, W. Basil (William Basil), 1858-1939 Author

W. Basil Worsfold (full name William Basil Worsfold, 1858–1939) was a British writer active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, whose works dealt with colonial policy and travel. Two of his books are held in this collection: Lord Milner's Work in South Africa and A Visit to Java. The former is a political and imperial study set in South Africa, centring on the colonial administration of Lord Milner; the latter records the author's travels in Java and belongs to the genre of travel writing and local observation. Though different in subject, both show a sustained interest in the politics and social conditions of overseas regions, in a style that combines narrative with commentary. Public information about his life, education and career is limited, and no conjecture is offered here.