Clark's Field

Herrick, Robert, 1868-1938Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 644K words
Chapters: 65

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.Clark's Field by Robert HerrickAuthor: Herrick, Robert, 1868-1938,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Dec 22, 2009

Editor's review

Clark's Field is a novel by American author Robert Herrick (1868–1938), centering on a piece of real estate called "Clark's Field" as the thread that unfolds the characters' fates and social change. Writing in late 19th- to early 20th-century America, Herrick often examined individuals' moral dilemmas and choices within a commercial society, a concern continued in this book. As a free Project Gutenberg ebook, its notable value lies in an open edition with low barriers to access, making it a suitable introductory text for understanding American realist fiction and Herrick's work. When reading, treat "the land" as a symbol running through the book and observe how characters weigh desire, duty, and opportunity; you may also understand the plot's momentum against the backdrop of late 19th-century American urbanization and real estate development. The book is in the original English; the language is generally plain but involves period expressions and background knowledge, so close reading with annotations, supported by introductory materials, works best.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in American realist fiction who wish to broaden their reading
Students researching Herrick's work or late 19th-century American social themes
Upper-intermediate to advanced English readers accustomed to reading originals and willing to consult background materials
Readers who enjoy narratives of character fate unfolding around land and property
Organizers needing free public-domain English texts for classroom teaching or book clubs

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer fast-paced plots and have limited patience for slow realist narration
Readers still at the beginning stage of English reading who find 19th-century vocabulary difficult
Readers who only want a Chinese translation and are unwilling to read the English original
Readers seeking practical books on real estate investment or legal knowledge

Reading tips

Begin with the opening account of Clark's Field, sketch a simple chart of characters and their relationship to the property, then move on to later chapters.
After each chapter, summarize changes in the characters' circumstances in two or three sentences to help grasp the main line of the realist narrative.
Mark period vocabulary or place names as you go and look them up together afterward rather than pausing over every word.
Set a fixed amount of weekly reading, and after finishing write a short commentary in light of late 19th-century American urbanization.

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? What English level is needed?

The book is in the original English and is a free public-domain Project Gutenberg ebook. The language is generally plain but carries late 19th- to early 20th-century usage and period background, so upper-intermediate to advanced English reading ability is recommended, or a willingness to work through it chapter by chapter with a dictionary and notes.

Can I understand it without relevant historical background?

You can read it, but comprehension will be affected. The novel unfolds character fates around a piece of real estate and involves the commercial society and urban development of the time. It is advisable to spend a little time beforehand learning the general outline of late 19th-century American urbanization and real estate development, and to follow "Clark's Field" as a symbolic thread while reading; understanding will be smoother.

Is this book suitable for book clubs or classroom discussion?

It is fairly suitable. As a free public-domain ebook, it is easy to obtain, and the themes of land and property lend themselves to discussion questions, such as characters' trade-offs between interest and duty, and how property changes relationships. You can set two or three questions per chapter or stage, together with background materials.

What should I note when reading the electronic edition?

Public-domain ebooks may have layout differences or occasional scanning leftovers; choose a clearly formatted edition and adjust font size and line spacing if needed. Use annotation functions to mark character and property threads while reading, and review the annotations afterward to help sort out the book's structure.

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About the author

Herrick, Robert, 1868-1938 Author

Robert Herrick (1868–1938) was an American novelist, with 11 of his works held in this collection. Public information about him is limited, and details of his life remain unclear, yet his surviving works show a novelist who examined social reality and individual destiny. His representative novel The Memoirs of an American Citizen uses its protagonist's first-person account to portray American society in transition, while The Web of Life and Clark's Field focus on individuals struggling and making choices within actual circumstances. He also wrote One Woman's Life, Together, The Master of the Inn, The World Decision, and Literary Love-Letters and Other Stories. His writing is largely realistic and calmly observed, often using personal experience to bring social issues into view, and his works offer a valuable reference for studying American society and literature of his time.