Down the Ravine

Murfree, Mary Noailles, 1850-1922Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 184K words
Chapters: 19

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.Down the Ravine by Mary Noailles MurfreeAuthor: Murfree, Mary Noailles, 1850-1922,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Mar 1, 2004

Editor's review

Down the Ravine is a work by Mary Noailles Murfree, released as part of Project Gutenberg's free eBook program; its value lies first in the accessibility of a public-domain text. Murfree was known for writing about life in the Tennessee mountains, and the book falls under American and Canadian literature (Class PS), making it suitable for readers interested in American local-color writing. The electronic edition follows Project Gutenberg's usual plain-text style, with no modern annotations or introduction, so readers must supply their own understanding of the period and the dialect. It is best suited to literary research, comparative reading, or casual exploration of late nineteenth-century American regional narrative rather than to plot-driven popular reading. As a public-domain eBook, it is easy to search, quote, and use in class discussion, and it also serves as an entry point to Project Gutenberg itself—founded by Michael Hart in 1971 as the first provider of free electronic books.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying American local-color literature and Tennessee mountain writing
Teachers and students who need public-domain English texts for citation or classroom materials
Readers interested in Project Gutenberg and early electronic texts
English-language readers accustomed to late nineteenth-century American regional fiction

Not a good fit for

Chinese-language readers seeking modern annotations, introductions, or translations
Readers who prefer fast-paced plots and contemporary fiction
Beginners with limited patience for English dialect and old-fashioned narrative

Reading tips

Learn first about Murfree's era and the Tennessee mountain setting before entering the text, to reduce difficulties with dialect.
Check the Project Gutenberg page to confirm the edition and release date, and cite the electronic source when quoting.
For classroom use, select specific chapters and set them alongside excerpts from other American local-color writing of the same period.

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

Does the electronic edition include modern annotations or a Chinese translation?

According to the available information, this is an English public-domain eBook released by Project Gutenberg, in English, classified under PS American and Canadian literature; no modern annotations or Chinese translation are mentioned. Readers must deal with old-fashioned expressions and dialect themselves, and should cite the electronic source when quoting.

What is Project Gutenberg?

The information shows that Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, founded by Michael Hart in 1971; he invented eBooks, and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies. This book was released by the project, with a release date of March 1, 2004.

Is this book suitable for a literature course?

It can serve as supplementary material for American local-color literature, especially for discussing late nineteenth-century Tennessee mountain writing. Because it is a plain public-domain electronic text without annotations or introduction, teachers will need to supply background material and should watch for passages in dialect that may be difficult to understand.

Comments

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About the author

Murfree, Mary Noailles, 1850-1922 Author

Mary Noailles Murfree (1850-1922) was an American writer of local color literature, best known for her novels and short stories set in the mountain regions of Tennessee. Her works often portray the customs and people of the Great Smoky Mountains, blending realistic observation with a legendary tone. Her representative works include The Prophet of the Great Smoky Mountains, The Ordeal: A Mountain Romance of Tennessee, The Mystery of Witch-Face Mountain, and Other Stories, and The Phantoms of the Foot-Bridge, and Other Stories. Twenty-six of her works are included in this collection, commonly classified under inspirational growth, with many stories focusing on mountain youths coming of age and showing resilience in hardship. Public information about the details of her life is limited, so no speculation is offered here.