Daisy Thornton

Holmes, Mary Jane, 1825-1907Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.5

Word count: 166K words
Chapters: 17

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.Daisy Thornton by Mary Jane HolmesAuthor: Holmes, Mary Jane, 1825-1907,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Sep 17, 2011

Editor's review

Daisy Thornton is a full-length work by nineteenth-century American popular novelist Mary Jane Holmes, now recirculating as a public-domain eBook through Project Gutenberg, offering Chinese readers a primary text for understanding the landscape of nineteenth-century American domestic and sentimental fiction. Holmes's novels are known for their nuanced portrayal of women's circumstances, family ethics, and emotional entanglements; this book likewise centers on the protagonist's fate, with the plot driven by the gradual unfolding of character relationships. The language carries the sentimentality and moral admonition characteristic of its era, allowing readers to sense the narrative rhythm and value orientation of popular literature of the time. Its value lies not in pioneering significance in literary history but in presenting the reading tastes of ordinary readers of an era and the ways in which female images were shaped. It is suitable as supplementary material for researchers of Anglo-American literature, nineteenth-century popular fiction, or women's writing, and also for readers interested in public-domain English originals seeking expanded reading. As it is an original English-language eBook, it is recommended for those with some English reading ability, to be used alongside background materials on the period.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary scholars studying nineteenth-century American popular fiction and women's writing
English-learning enthusiasts hoping to read public-domain English originals and broaden their reading
Readers interested in nineteenth-century American domestic ethics and sentimental narrative
Compilers of Project Gutenberg public-domain catalogues who need edition information

Not a good fit for

General readers who prefer Chinese translations and are unaccustomed to English originals
Readers who prefer modern fast-paced narrative and lack patience for sentimental style
Beginning researchers who need scholarly annotations and detailed introductions

Reading tips

First familiarize yourself with the nineteenth-century American popular literary context in which Holmes wrote, then enter the text; character motivations will be easier to understand.
Proceed chapter by chapter and note character relationships as you go, to avoid confusion over plot threads caused by the large cast.
When encountering strongly period-specific expressions or moral commentary, skim first to grasp the main line, then reread closely.
If reading for research purposes, read alongside contemporaneous American women's novels to observe similarities and differences in narrative patterns.

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 Chinese translation or the English original?

According to the Project Gutenberg cataloguing information, the book's language is English; it is an original English-language eBook, not a Chinese translation. Chinese readers will need some English ability or auxiliary tools to understand it.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg is known for providing free eBooks; this book is one of its public-domain titles, catalogued under American and Canadian literature. The edition consists mainly of the original text and typically does not include modern scholarly annotations, introductions, or translations.

Will the lack of annotations affect comprehension?

To some extent. The period background, social customs, and moral concepts involved require readers to supplement on their own. It is advisable to consult basic materials on nineteenth-century American society and women's circumstances before reading the text for smoother understanding.

Is it suitable as English-learning material?

It can serve as extended reading material but is not ideal as a first choice for beginners. The language carries a nineteenth-century style, with sentence structures and vocabulary at a distance from modern English; it is better suited to readers with intermediate or above English reading ability who wish to engage with original texts.

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About the author

Holmes, Mary Jane, 1825-1907 Author

Mary Jane Holmes (1825–1907) was a popular nineteenth-century American novelist who found a wide readership in her day. Public information about her early life and education is limited, but her output was considerable: this site holds twenty-one of her works, which suggests how active she was in the book market and among readers of her time. Her representative novels include The English Orphans, ‘Lena Rivers, Bad Hugh, Family Pride, Cousin Maude, Maggie Miller, Gretchen, and Tempest and Sunshine. These stories are mostly drawn from domestic life and emotional entanglements, often turning on orphaned origins, family ties, pride and suffering, secrets and reconciliation. Their plots are eventful, their tone gentle, and their sensibility plainly sentimental and moralizing. Written for a broad popular audience and especially welcomed by women readers, her novels offer a useful window onto the character of nineteenth-century American popular fiction.