Cromwell

Richards, Alfred Bate, 1820-1876Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 176K words
Chapters: 18

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.Cromwell by Alfred Bate RichardsAuthor: Richards, Alfred Bate, 1820-1876,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Dec 24, 2004

Editor's review

This work is a literary treatment of the historical figure Cromwell by the nineteenth-century English writer Alfred Bate Richards, belonging to the category of English literature. Readers can observe how a Victorian man of letters understood and reshaped the central figure of the seventeenth-century English Revolution, and consider how historical material is handled in literary imagination. The text comes from a public-domain eBook on Project Gutenberg, unprocessed by modern editors and preserving its original language, making it suitable as a sample of English historical literary writing and as further reading for those interested in the Cromwell era or the history of English literature. As a public-domain electronic text, its layout and notes are plain, so readers should consult historical background materials and treat it as a literary text rather than rigorous historiography; it offers suitable points of entry both for fragmented daily reading and for specialized study.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in English historical literature who want to know Cromwell's literary image
English literature students who need a nineteenth-century historical work as a reading sample
Readers accustomed to public-domain English eBooks who accept original-text formatting
Enthusiasts studying Victorian modes of historical writing

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking a rigorous Cromwell biography or primary historical sources
Learners with limited English reading ability who need modern notes and introductions
Readers who prefer the pace of contemporary fiction and lack patience for nineteenth-century prose

Reading tips

First learn the basic facts of the English Revolution and Cromwell, then enter the text to lower the barrier to understanding
Read it as a literary text, focusing on how the author shapes characters and arranges plot rather than checking facts
Read it alongside other Cromwell works to observe differences in writing across eras
Use the eBook's search function to mark names and events for easier cross-referencing

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 historiographical biography of Cromwell?

No. It belongs to English literature and is Richards's literary treatment of Cromwell, carrying the author's era-specific perspective and imaginative elements. For rigorous historical facts, consult specialized historiography; it is better read as a literary text.

What English level is needed to read this book?

The text is nineteenth-century English, with sentence structures and vocabulary more complex than modern English, and the public-domain eBook lacks modern notes. Good English reading ability is recommended, or reading alongside a dictionary and historical background materials; otherwise language barriers are likely.

What is special about this edition?

It is a public-domain eBook from Project Gutenberg, a text provided by an early free eBook project, preserving original language and lacking modern editorial introductions and notes. Its advantage is being free and easy to obtain; its drawback is plain formatting, requiring readers to supply background knowledge themselves.

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About the author

Richards, Alfred Bate, 1820-1876 Author · British · 1820–1876

Alfred Bate Richards (1820–1876) was a British playwright, poet and journalist. His career spanned literary creation and public affairs: he wrote historical plays and poetry, and as a journalist took part in the social and political debates of his time. His representative work, Cromwell, is a historical play drawing on British historical figures and events, reflecting his sustained interest in historical subjects and dramatic form. Beyond writing, he was active in public affairs, showing the side of a literary figure engaged with social issues. Overall, Richards's writing combines literary quality with a concern for real-world matters, with historical drama and poetry as important parts of his output. Public information on the details of his life is limited, and this entry summarizes only his identity and creative direction on the basis of confirmable basic facts.