Essays

Meynell, Alice, 1847-1922Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.7

Word count: 361K words
Chapters: 37

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.Essays by Alice MeynellAuthor: Meynell, Alice, 1847-1922,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Aug 1, 1998

Editor's review

This collection of essays comes from the English writer Alice Meynell and belongs to the essay tradition within English literature. Her prose is distinguished by delicate observation and an unhurried tone, often starting from everyday scenes, the turn of the seasons, reading, and small details of life, and unfolding its reflections with restraint: rather than rushing toward conclusions, it lets readers sense the meaning through slow narration. For Chinese readers, the value of this book lies not only in its content but also in the sample of prose rhythm it offers from late nineteenth- to early twentieth-century English essays: sentences attentive to rhythm, restrained diction, and argument interwoven with description. The electronic edition comes from Project Gutenberg; it is short and well suited to light reading of English prose, and also to reading one or two pieces at a time in fragmented moments such as commutes or before sleep, savoring the poise of the prose again and again. One caveat: essays do not rely on plot momentum, so it is worth slowing down while reading and attending to expression at the sentence level.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who want to encounter the English essay tradition and improve their sense of prose rhythm
Readers who prefer a slow pace and find reflection in everyday details
Learners who need short pieces for daily light English reading
Readers interested in the literary landscape of late nineteenth-century England

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting strong plot and fast-paced narrative
Beginners whose English reading is not yet proficient and who need annotations
Readers seeking systematic literary history rather than the works themselves

Reading tips

Read only one or two pieces at a time, then pause and recall the sentence that moved you most.
Keep a notebook, copy out favorite sentences, and try restating their meaning in your own words.
First read a piece through to grasp the general idea, then read it again, paying attention to sentence rhythm and word choice.

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 an English original, and can Chinese readers read it?

This is an electronic edition of the English original, in English. Readers with intermediate English reading ability can read it through with the help of a dictionary; if your English foundation is weaker, it is advisable to start with the shorter pieces and gradually adapt to its sentence patterns and vocabulary rather than trying to finish it in one sitting.

Is the essay collection meant to be read from beginning to end in order?

The essays are relatively independent of one another and need not be read strictly in order. You can open to any piece and begin, or arrange the order by theme or length. Reading in order lets you feel the overall style, while skipping around suits fragmented time.

How does reading the electronic edition differ from reading a print book?

This version is a free electronic text provided by Project Gutenberg; it is easy to search and carry, but lacks the layout design and physical feel of a print book. For close reading and excerpting, the electronic edition makes copying sentences easier; if you want immersion, you can print individual pieces to read.

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About the author

Meynell, Alice, 1847-1922 Author

Alice Meynell (1847–1922) was an English poet and essayist. She first drew literary attention for her poetry, which combines religious feeling with delicate observation of nature; her language is concise and her rhythms unhurried, often conveying reflection through ordinary scenes. Her essays address life, art, and emotion in a clear, graceful style that continues the lyrical spirit of her verse. The collection here includes 12 of her works, among them the poetry collections Poems, Later Poems, and A Father of Women, and Other Poems, the essay collections The Rhythm of Life, and Other Essays, The Colour of Life, and Essays, as well as London Impressions and The Flower of the Mind. Her writing had a certain influence on the British literary scene of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and both her poetry and essays drew the attention of readers and critics. Public information is limited, so biographical details are omitted here.