Critical Studies

Ouida, 1839-1908Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 488K words
Chapters: 49

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.Critical Studies by OuidaAuthor: Ouida, 1839-1908,Language: English, Class: PN: Language and Literatures: Literature: General, Criticism, Collections, Release Date: Jul 19, 2011

Editor's review

Critical Studies is a collection of essays by the English writer Ouida (1839–1908), made freely available as an eBook by Project Gutenberg. Ouida is best known for her novels, but this volume shows another side of her as a critic: observations and judgments on literature, art, and social manners. For anyone familiar with the Victorian literary scene, such criticism reveals the author's aesthetic stance and the prejudices of her age more directly than her fiction does, and it also conveys the tone of literary debate at the time. As a public-domain eBook, its value lies not in a finely bound edition but in accessibility—readers can enter the context of late nineteenth-century English criticism at no cost. It need not be read straight through; it works better as a reference volume, read by topic or by the figures under review, and best alongside Ouida's major novels, where creation and criticism can be seen to illuminate each other. One caveat: the book's judgments bear clear marks of their time, and some views may not hold today; they are best read with a historical eye.

Who it's for

A good fit for

University faculty and students studying Victorian literary criticism and the literary world
Readers interested in Ouida and her nonfiction
Self-learners accustomed to public-domain English eBooks who can accept nineteenth-century prose
Writers in need of primary sources for late nineteenth-century British cultural criticism

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking systematic literary theory or contemporary critical methods
Beginners not yet fluent in English who need notes and introductions
Readers who want only plot-driven works and have little patience for critical essays

Reading tips

Begin with the table of contents, read closely the pieces relevant to your research or interests, and skim the rest.
Keep background material on late nineteenth-century British literature and art at hand, checking figures and events as you read.
Read alongside Ouida's novels to see whether her critical positions match her creative practice.
Annotate passages that show obvious period bias, distinguishing their value as historical evidence from their value as opinion.

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 a novel or a collection of criticism?

Judging by the title and classification, it is a collection of Ouida's critical studies, belonging to literary criticism rather than fiction. It discusses literature, art, and related topics; for specific contents, consult the table of contents in the eBook itself. Browsing the contents before reading will help you decide which pieces to read closely.

How difficult is the English, and is it suitable for non-native readers?

The text is late nineteenth-century English, with long sentences and formal diction, and it refers to people and works of the period, so non-native readers will face obstacles. Readers with university-level English who are willing to look up background information can attempt it; for lighter reading, start with an introduction or selected pieces.

What should I keep in mind when reading a public-domain eBook?

Project Gutenberg eBooks are free public-domain texts, usually without modern editorial notes or uniform pagination, so citations require checking the edition yourself. Use reading software that supports search and bookmarks, and record the source and date of download for later verification and academic citation.

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About the author

Ouida, 1839-1908 Author

Ouida (1839–1908) was the pen name of the British novelist Maria Louise Ramé, though public information about the details of her life is limited. She was a prolific writer, and this library holds twenty-four of her works, including novels and short-story collections. Her representative works include A Dog of Flanders, The Nürnberg Stove, Under Two Flags, and Bébée. Her stories often center on animals, children, and the poor, with sentimental and dramatic plots and ornate, romantic prose. She was popular in the Victorian era, and A Dog of Flanders in particular circulated widely and has been adapted many times. On the whole, she is known for accessible and emotionally charged storytelling, and she left a mark on children's literature and popular fiction.