At Bay

Annie French HectorProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 381K words
Chapters: 39

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. At Bay by Mrs. Alexander. Author: Alexander, Mrs., 1825-1902. Language: English. Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature. Release Date: Aug 16, 2015

Editor's review

At Bay is an English novel by the nineteenth-century British writer Mrs. Alexander (1825–1902), made available as a free eBook by Project Gutenberg. Mrs. Alexander was a prolific Victorian novelist whose works often center on domestic life, courtship and marriage, and character psychology. This book, one among her many works, is suitable as supplementary reading for those interested in Victorian English fiction. The Project Gutenberg edition is the public-domain English original, without modern notes or introduction, so readers need a reasonable ability to read English. Its value lies not in offering a definitive classic but in presenting the typical features of nineteenth-century popular fiction in narrative pace, character portrayal, and moral concern, making it a useful sample of the writing of women novelists of the period. It can be read as extracurricular textual practice for literature students or as light reading for lovers of English fiction. Since no detailed plot summary is available, readers should approach the text with a spirit of exploration rather than verification.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in Victorian English fiction
English majors using it for extracurricular reading practice in the original text
Literature enthusiasts studying nineteenth-century women writers
Readers who enjoy slow-paced character-driven narrative and can accept the old-fashioned style of public-domain texts

Not a good fit for

Readers who want a Chinese translation and are uncomfortable with the English original
Readers who prefer strong plot and fast-paced modern fiction
Beginners who need introductions and notes to assist their reading

Reading tips

Read the first two chapters first to become familiar with the author's narrative tone and character relationships, then decide the pace of further reading.
Keep paper or electronic notes to record forms of address and family relationships, avoiding confusion caused by old-fashioned terms.
When encountering unfamiliar words, first skip them to grasp the general meaning, then deal with key words that affect understanding after finishing the chapter.
Read alongside works by other women writers of the same period to appreciate common features of popular fiction writing.

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 in Chinese or English?

This is the English original released by Project Gutenberg, in English, with no Chinese translation. Chinese readers need some English reading ability or should use dictionaries and other tools to assist them.

What is Mrs. Alexander's background as a writer?

According to public-domain information, Mrs. Alexander lived from 1825 to 1902 and was a nineteenth-century British novelist. Her works often focus on family and marriage themes, and she was one of the prolific popular novelists of her time.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg provides free public-domain eBooks, mainly in the original text and generally without modern introductions, notes, or translator's prefaces. The advantage is that it is free and easy to obtain; the limitation is the lack of supplementary reading materials.

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About the author

Annie French Hector Author · Irish · 1825–1902

Annie French Hector, better known by her pen name Mrs. Alexander, was a nineteenth-century Irish writer of popular fiction. Public information about her life is limited, and many details remain uncertain. She was born in Dublin and married Alexander Hector in 1858; after his death in 1875 she began publishing novels under his name, producing more than forty works. She was skilled at portraying young women's real choices among money, family, and love, with intricate plots and characters whose circumstances spoke closely to the everyday concerns of middle-class readers of the time. Her style is accessible and dramatic, and her themes often center on growth, duty, and emotional trials. Her representative works include Kate Vernon, Ralph Wilton's Weird, A Crooked Path, and At Bay, and her novels were widely read in the United States.