Celibates

Moore, George, 1852-1933Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.6

Word count: 518K words
Chapters: 52

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.Celibates by George MooreAuthor: Moore, George, 1852-1933,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 1, 2004

Editor's review

Celibates is a collection of short stories by George Moore centered on celibacy, abstinence, and emotional repression, portraying characters torn between religious ethics and personal desire. Moore's narration is cool and finely detailed, often revealing his characters' predicaments through everyday scenes and inner fluctuations, and it reflects the late nineteenth-century English literary sensitivity to morality and the spiritual life. The stories are relatively independent of one another, making the book suitable for reading in segments and convenient for observing the author's multi-angle treatment of a single theme. For readers studying Moore's work, Irish literature, or late Victorian moral attitudes, the book offers a valuable textual sample. There is no need to rush to judge the characters' choices; instead, notice how the narrator keeps his distance and how details betray his leanings. As a public-domain ebook, it is well suited to course readings or thematic reading groups.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in George Moore and late nineteenth-century English and Irish literature.
Literary scholars and enthusiasts concerned with themes of celibacy, abstinence, and moral repression.
Teachers and students in need of public-domain English short fiction for course readings or thematic discussion.
Readers who enjoy cool, finely wrought psychological description and short stories that do not pursue strong plot.

Not a good fit for

Readers of popular fiction who prefer fast-paced plots and strong dramatic conflict.
Readers who want complete Chinese translation and annotation and do not wish to read the English original.
Readers with no interest in religious ethics and emotional repression.

Reading tips

Read one story at a time, and after each, note the characters' choices between desire and norm.
Read one story first to get a feel for the narrative tone, then compare how different stories treat the theme of celibacy.
Read alongside background material on late Victorian social morality to understand the external causes of the characters' repression.
For reading groups, organize a clash of views around the question "Is celibacy freedom or bondage?".

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 Celibates a novel or a short story collection?

The available information indicates that the book is a work of prose narrative by George Moore, usually presented as a short story collection, with each story exploring themes of celibacy and abstinence. The stories are relatively independent and suitable for reading in segments; for the specific stories and their arrangement, refer to the public-domain electronic text you obtain.

Can I read this book without knowing George Moore?

Yes. The book's themes are focused and its length manageable, and it does not depend on prior knowledge of the author's life. Readers need only an interest in late nineteenth-century moral and emotional questions to enter the text through the characters' situations. For deeper study, supplement it with Moore's other works and background material on the period.

How difficult is the English in this book?

As a late nineteenth-century English work, its vocabulary and sentence structure are somewhat denser than contemporary popular fiction, with considerable psychological description and reflection. Readers at or above the level of CET-4 who are willing to read slowly and look up words can finish it; alternatively, start with one story and continue once you have grown used to the narrative rhythm.

Comments

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About the author

Moore, George, 1852-1933 Author

George Moore (1852–1933) was an Irish writer. The library holds 17 of his works, commonly classified under inspirational and personal growth. His major works include the novels Esther Waters, Evelyn Innes and A Mummer's Wife, the short-story collection The Untilled Field, and such books as Confessions of a Young Man, Memoirs of My Dead Life and The Brook Kerith. His fiction tends to focus on the emotional, marital and personal struggles of ordinary people, written with delicate restraint and a realistic attention to inner life; his autobiographical works candidly recall his own experiences and literary acquaintances. Moore occupies a place in the transition of Irish literature from the Victorian tradition toward modernism, and his work has influenced later writers. Public information is limited, and the above is a brief overview based only on the works held in the library.