Albrecht

Bates, Arlo, 1850-1918Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 298K 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. Albrecht by Arlo Bates. Author: Bates, Arlo, 1850-1918. Language: English. Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature. Release Date: Jan 3, 2013

Editor's review

Albrecht is a novel by Arlo Bates, published in the public-domain eBook collection under American and Canadian literature. Bates excels at delicately rendering characters' psychology and social environment, and this book likewise centers on relationships and inner conflict; the plot unfolds at a measured pace, building tension through dialogue and detail. Its value lies in its portrayal of the social atmosphere and moral questions of a particular era—the conflicting values behind characters' choices reward close reading. As a public-domain text, it also offers an accessible sample for studying late nineteenth-century American fiction. When reading, pay attention to shifts in narrative perspective and the subtext in dialogue; there is no need to rush toward the ending. It suits reading chapter by chapter over a longer period, then revisiting key scenes to appreciate how the author uses everyday situations to carry the themes.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers who enjoy late nineteenth-century American fiction
Readers interested in character psychology and social ethics
Readers studying American literary history who need public-domain texts
Readers accustomed to a slow pace and attentive to dialogue and detail

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking strong plots and fast-paced twists
Readers of contemporary popular fiction only
Beginners who need extensive notes or introductions to enter the text

Reading tips

First read through to grasp the relationships and main conflicts, then revisit key dialogues and note the subtext.
Mark passages that show shifts in characters' psychology as you read, and afterward sort out the main characters' motives and choices.
For literary research, combine the text with background materials on late nineteenth-century American fiction to analyze its themes and narrative techniques.

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 novel is this?

It is a public-domain novel classified under American and Canadian literature, leaning toward the depiction of character psychology and social relations. The plot unfolds at a measured pace, building tension through dialogue and detail rather than strong external conflict.

Do I need to know the author first?

Not necessarily. You can understand the main characters and plot by going straight into the text. For a deeper reading, learn about Bates's background and the common themes of American fiction of the period afterward, to help place the book in its literary context.

Why does the pace feel slow?

The book focuses on close description of character psychology and social scenes; the narration is unhurried, and conflict is mostly hidden in dialogue and detail. Adjust your expectations, read slowly chapter by chapter, and pay attention to the subtext in what characters say—you will gain more than by chasing the plot.

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About the author

Bates, Arlo, 1850-1918 Author

Arlo Bates (1850–1918) was an American author and teacher of literature. Thirteen of his works are held in this Chinese-language book collection, commonly grouped under inspirational and personal growth. Public information about him is limited, and details of his life are difficult to verify, yet his works reveal his main directions. On the one hand he wrote on writing and literary education, including Talks on Writing English (First Series), Talks on Teaching Literature and Talks on the Study of Literature, which discuss methods of writing and approaches to literary study in plain, well-organized prose with the friendly tone of classroom talks. On the other hand he wrote fiction and stories, such as The Puritans, Patty's Perversities, A Book o' Nine Tales, The Intoxicated Ghost, and Other Stories and The Pagans, dealing with social manners and everyday human relations in a style mixing humor and satire. Overall, he combined the roles of teacher and writer, and his works, practical in guidance and readable in narrative, offer some value for learning English writing and understanding the literary tastes of his time.