Babylon, Volume 2

Allen, Grant, 1848-1899Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.5

Word count: 260K words
Chapters: 26

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.Babylon, Volume 2 by Grant AllenAuthor: Allen, Grant, 1848-1899,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Nov 22, 2014

Editor's review

Babylon, Volume 2 is the second volume of Grant Allen's novel Babylon and belongs to the lineage of late Victorian English popular literature. The public-domain electronic text provided by Project Gutenberg preserves the original language and structure, making it suitable as primary material for studying the narrative techniques, social ideas and popular reading tastes of late nineteenth-century English fiction. As the latter part of a multi-volume novel, it continues the characters and plot of the previous volume; readers can observe how the author develops conflict, closes threads, and how serialised and volume publication actually took shape at the time. The text is in the English original with no modern notes, so reading requires some English reading stamina and awareness of literary history. It is better suited as supplementary text for literature specialists or as an exploration for lovers of public-domain books, rather than a diversion seeking immediate plot excitement. Reading it alongside Volume 1 is recommended, with attention to the tension between the Babylon imagery and Victorian moral discourse.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English literature students who need to study late Victorian popular fiction narrative
Public-domain ebook enthusiasts used to reading original English classics
Readers interested in late nineteenth-century British social ideas and the forms of novel publication
Readers who have finished Volume 1 and want to follow the plot to completion

Not a good fit for

Beginners with limited English reading ability who need a Chinese translation
Beginner readers expecting modern notes and introductions
Casual readers who only want a quick summary and do not want to read the original

Reading tips

First make sure you have read Volume 1 and clarified the character relationships and main line before entering this volume, to avoid a break in the plot.
After each chapter, note the events and character changes in one sentence to help grasp the structure of a multi-volume novel.
You may read it alongside material on late nineteenth-century British literary history to understand the period context.
Mark rare expressions first and check them later; do not interrupt the reading rhythm too often.

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

Can this book be read on its own?

Not recommended. It is the second volume of Babylon, and the characters and plot continue from Volume 1; reading it alone can easily cause confusion about relationships and motives. It is best to read Volume 1 first in order, then this volume, to grasp the story fully.

Does this edition have a Chinese translation or notes?

According to the information, this is an English public-domain electronic text released by Project Gutenberg, in English, with no mention of a Chinese translation or modern notes. Readers need English reading ability and may use a dictionary or literary history reference as needed.

Is it suitable for literary research?

It can be used as primary text, especially for examining the volume publication form, narrative rhythm and moral discourse of late Victorian popular fiction. However, it has no scholarly annotations or textual notes, so researchers need to supply background material and compare reliable editions themselves.

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About the author

Allen, Grant, 1848-1899 Author

Grant Allen (1848–1899) was a late nineteenth-century British writer known both for science writing and fiction. Thirty of his works are held in the collection, spanning science fiction, detective stories, social novels, and popular science essays. His novel The Woman Who Did stirred controversy for its treatment of female independence and marriage morality; An African Millionaire presents humorous satire through the serial exploits of the swindler Colonel Clay; Hilda Wade and Miss Cayley's Adventures create determined female protagonists. In popular science, Falling in Love With Other Essays on More Exact Branches of Science and Anglo-Saxon Britain show his skill in making science accessible, while Biographies of Working Men focuses on ordinary laborers. Public information on his life is limited, but his works reveal a gift for combining scientific reason with popular narrative, giving him a place in late Victorian popular literature.