Belle Powers' Locket

Joanna H. Mathews (Joanna Hooe Mathews)Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.4

Word count: 211K words
Chapters: 22

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.Belle Powers' Locket by Joanna H. MathewsAuthor: Mathews, Joanna H. (Joanna Hooe), 1849-1901,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Jun 28, 2014

Editor's review

Belle Powers' Locket is a juvenile novel by Joanna H. Mathews, an author known in the late nineteenth century for moral-growth stories for young readers. Centered on a locket, the book is a typical coming-of-age narrative in which the object drives themes of responsibility, honesty, and friendship; the tone is gentle and carries the educational stamp of its era. As a Project Gutenberg public-domain eBook, it offers a direct sample of nineteenth-century American children's literature—its subjects and values—and works well as light reading in the original English. Read it within the children's-literature tradition of its time and appreciate its balance of moral instruction and storytelling rather than judging its pacing by contemporary standards.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers and researchers interested in nineteenth-century American children's literature
Young readers or English learners seeking light reading in the original English
Readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories built around a single object
Collectors of public-domain children's literature eBooks

Not a good fit for

Contemporary fiction readers seeking strong plots and fast pacing
Readers who want a Chinese translation or a modern annotated edition
Readers impatient with old-fashioned children's stories that carry moral instruction

Reading tips

Read it as a period sample and note the values and codes of conduct it conveys.
Young readers can read through the plot first, then revisit the locket's symbolic role.
English learners can read chapter by chapter and look up words to build familiarity with older expressions.
Compare it with other children's literature of the same period to observe shared subjects and 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

Who is the main audience for this book?

The original was written for nineteenth-century young readers and is a juvenile novel with a moral-growth theme. Today it suits adult readers and researchers interested in old-fashioned children's literature, or young readers with some English who are willing to try an older novel in the original.

What role does the locket play in the story?

The locket is the central object that links the plot; its loss, keeping, and recovery lead to choices about responsibility, honesty, and friendship. It both drives the story forward and carries the character education the work intends to convey, so watch for its symbolic meaning as you read.

How difficult is the English, and is it suitable for English learners?

The language is generally plain but reflects nineteenth-century English usage and some older vocabulary, which can be unfamiliar to contemporary learners. Readers at an intermediate level who are willing to use a dictionary can try it; reading chapter by chapter and building vocabulary is recommended.

Comments

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About the author

Joanna H. Mathews (Joanna Hooe Mathews) Author · American · 1849–1901

Joanna H. Mathews (full name Joanna Hooe Mathews, 1849–1901) was an American writer of children's literature. Born in New York and educated at Miss Ryshard's School, she published her first work, Guy Hamilton, in 1866. She went on to write mainly stories for young girls and became known for the "Bessie" series, including Bessie at the Seaside, Bessie in Town, and Bessie and Her Friends. Nine of her works are held in this collection, among them Uncle Rutherford's Nieces, Jessie's Parrot, Bessie Bradford's Prize, Belle Powers' Locket, Lily Norris' Enemy, and Nellie's Housekeeping, most of which center on family, friendship, and growing up. Public information about her life and writing career is limited, so this introduction focuses on the themes and style of her works.