An American Patrician, or The Story of Aaron Burr

Lewis, Alfred Henry, 1857-1914Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.0

Word count: 368K words
Chapters: 37

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.An American Patrician, or The Story of Aaron Burr by Alfred Henry LewisAuthor: Lewis, Alfred Henry, 1857-1914,Language: English, Class: E300: History: America: Revolution to the Civil War (1783-1861), Release Date: May 1, 2016

Editor's review

This biographical novel retells the life of Aaron Burr in a literary style. Alfred Henry Lewis, active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, was known for narrative character depiction. Readers can thereby see the complex features of political figures in the early American republic and observe how early biographical writing blended fact with imagination. The book is in English, with a language bearing the marks of its era, suiting readers interested in early American history who are willing to experience the narrative rhythm in the original English. Read it as a literary biography with subjective coloring rather than a strict historical work, and pay attention to the narrator's stance and selections.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English-language readers interested in early American history and political figures
Students of early American biographical literature and narrative techniques
Those wishing to experience late-nineteenth-century English prose through literature
Readers with some English proficiency willing to read long narratives slowly

Not a good fit for

Academic researchers seeking strict historical verification and annotations
Beginners not yet proficient in English who need a Chinese translation
Readers seeking only light entertainment and impatient with long biographical narratives

Reading tips

First learn the basic outline of Aaron Burr's life before entering the text, to better recognize narrative choices.
After every few chapters, review the narrator's evaluations of the figures, distinguishing factual statements from literary embellishment.
Read alongside materials on the political background of the early American republic for better understanding.
When reading the English original, note unfamiliar words and period expressions and maintain a steady pace.

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 strict historical biography?

It is closer to a literary biographical narrative; the author organizes the life with novelistic techniques and the narration carries subjective coloring. For strict historical conclusions, consult professional historical works and primary sources, and treat this as a book for understanding early biographical writing.

How difficult is the English?

Written in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the English contains period expressions and longer sentences and is not an entry-level read. Readers with some experience of long English reading will adapt better; beginners may use a dictionary or guide materials.

Do I need prior knowledge of American history?

It is advisable to know at least the political landscape and key figures from after American independence to the early republic, otherwise some event backgrounds and character motives are hard to grasp. Reading a concise historical overview beforehand will noticeably improve fluency.

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About the author

Lewis, Alfred Henry, 1857-1914 Author

Alfred Henry Lewis (1857–1914) was an American writer, with 17 works held in this collection. He is best known for the "Wolfville" stories, including Wolfville, Wolfville Days, Wolfville Nights, and Faro Nell and Her Friends: Wolfville Stories, which use a Western small-town setting, colorful local speech, and lively dialogue to portray frontier life and everyday characters in a humorous, colloquial style. He also wrote works on city politics and lower-class life, such as The Apaches of New York and The Boss, and How He Came to Rule New York, as well as documentary-style texts like The Mormon Menace: The Confessions of John Doyle Lee, Danite and historical figures such as An American Patrician, or The Story of Aaron Burr. His writing spans Western tales, urban sketches, and historical narrative, with vivid language and memorable characters. Public information on his life, nationality, and education is limited, so no speculation is offered here.