Bessie Costrell

Ward, Humphry, Mrs., 1851-1920Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 131K words
Chapters: 14

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. Bessie Costrell by Mrs. Humphry Ward. Author: Ward, Humphry, Mrs., 1851-1920. Language: English. Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature. Release Date: Jul 26, 2007

Editor's review

Bessie Costrell is a short novel by Mrs. Humphry Ward, released as a public-domain English eBook by Project Gutenberg. Ward was a prolific late-nineteenth-century British novelist whose work often examines social ethics and individual circumstance. Set in a rural community, the book centers on the experiences of an ordinary woman, Bessie Costrell. The narrative is plain and attentive to inner life and moral dilemma, giving readers a view of the everyday texture of English country society and the situation of women at the time. Its value lies in refracting social custom and ethical pressure through a small-scale personal story, making it a suitable entry point for readers new to late-Victorian English fiction. The electronic edition is convenient for quick reading and excerpting, but has no modern annotations, and some dialect and period expressions may pose difficulties. On the whole it suits readers with at least intermediate English reading ability who enjoy character-driven realist fiction.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with at least intermediate English reading ability who want to read novels in the original English
Readers interested in late-Victorian British society and rural life
Readers who enjoy character-driven realist fiction of moderate length
Teachers and students who need short supplementary material for English literature courses

Not a good fit for

Readers with weak English who need sentence-by-sentence annotation
Readers who prefer strong plot twists and suspense
Literary researchers seeking a modern scholarly edition with an introduction

Reading tips

Familiarize yourself with the late-Victorian English rural background before entering the story.
Mark dialect and period expressions and look them up together after finishing, to avoid frequent interruption.
Pay attention to Bessie's psychological changes and the attitudes of those around her, and trace the ethical conflicts.
Compare with works by British women writers of the same period to observe differences in narrative.

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 is the language and difficulty level of this book?

This is the original English edition. The narrative language is generally plain, but it contains period expressions and possibly rural dialect, which poses some challenge for non-native readers. It is suitable for readers with at least intermediate English reading ability, with a dictionary at hand.

Does the Gutenberg edition have annotations or an introduction?

Project Gutenberg eBooks mainly provide public-domain texts and usually do not include a modern introduction or detailed annotations. Readers who need background knowledge can consult the author's biography, late-Victorian social history, and commentary on the work.

Is it suitable as English learning material?

It can serve as extensive reading material, but is not suitable for intensive reading at beginner level. It is advisable to read it after acquiring a certain vocabulary and to focus on character dialogue and narrative rhythm; dialect and uncommon expressions can be skipped at first and looked up after finishing a chapter.

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About the author

Ward, Humphry, Mrs., 1851-1920 Author

Mrs. Humphry Ward (1851–1920) was a British novelist of the late Victorian era, born Mary Augusta Arnold and known after marriage by her husband's surname. Her fiction often centres on conflicts between religious belief and moral conviction, while also touching on social reform, women's circumstances and family ethics. Her style is realistic, with finely drawn psychological portraits, and her work reached a wide readership in the English-speaking world of her day. The novel Robert Elsmere, her best-known work, stirred public debate by addressing a crisis of faith, while Marcella, The History of David Grieve and The Marriage of William Ashe likewise explore personal conviction and social responsibility. Thirty-three of her works are held in this collection. Public information is limited, so details of her life and career are not elaborated here.