Fidelity: A Novel

Susan GlaspellProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 540K words
Chapters: 54

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.Fidelity: A Novel by Susan GlaspellAuthor: Glaspell, Susan, 1882?-1948,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: May 19, 2010

Editor's review

Susan Glaspell is best known for her play Trifles, but she also wrote fiction, and Fidelity: A Novel is her foray into the novel form. The book is freely distributed by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain work of American literature. Glaspell's narratives consistently focus on the individual's struggle between family and social expectations, and her characters often bear moral and emotional pressure beneath seemingly calm daily life; this novel continues that delicate psychological portrayal, with restrained language and concentrated scenes, reading more like watching an inner drama unfold slowly. For readers familiar with her plays, the book offers another perspective on her work in a different genre; readers interested in American literature, women's writing, and early twentieth-century social ethics will also find material for discussion. One caveat: public-domain ebooks lack modern introductions, so readers unfamiliar with the author's life and historical context may find it harder to enter her understated narrative rhythm.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in American literature and early twentieth-century women's writing
Those who have read Glaspell's plays and want to explore her fiction
Literary readers who prefer psychological portrayal and character relationships
Readers who wish to read a novella-length work closely in the original English

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking strong plot and fast-paced stories
Beginning readers who need detailed notes and background introductions
Readers with little patience for slow psychological narrative

Reading tips

Familiarize yourself with Glaspell's dramatic style first; the novel is easier to enter afterward
Proceed chapter by chapter, briefly reviewing character motivations and relationship changes after each
Excerpt key dialogue to appreciate the emotional tension beneath her restrained language
Read alongside historical material on early twentieth-century American society for comparison

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

Isn't Glaspell primarily a playwright?

Yes, Susan Glaspell is known for her plays, especially Trifles, which is often anthologized. But she also wrote fiction, and Fidelity is one of her novels. Reading her fiction alongside her drama lets you observe how she handles character psychology and moral dilemmas across different genres.

Is this book suitable for English majors?

Fairly suitable. The text is an early twentieth-century American novel, written in standard prose with period flavor, and can serve as supplementary reading for American literature courses. However, the public-domain ebook lacks annotations, so students must look up historical background and unfamiliar expressions themselves; reading with a teacher's guidance or introductory materials is recommended.

What background should I know before reading this book?

It helps to first understand early twentieth-century American social expectations around marriage, family, and women's roles, as well as Glaspell's life and the themes of her plays. With this background, the characters' hesitation and struggle over fidelity will be easier to understand.

How difficult is this book compared with the author's other works?

As a novel, it is longer than her one-act plays, with a slower narrative and more detailed psychological portrayal, requiring more patience. The language difficulty is similar to her plays, but there are more long sentences and inner monologue, so reading steadily chapter by chapter is recommended.

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About the author

Susan Glaspell Author · American · 1876–1948

Susan Glaspell (1876–1948) was an American playwright, novelist, and journalist, a co-founder of the Provincetown Players and a pioneer of modern American women's theater. She is known for the one-act play Trifles and the short story A Jury of Her Peers, adapted from it, and in 1931 won the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for her play Alison's House. Her work spans plays and novels, including the stories collected in Lifted Masks and the novels The Visioning, Fidelity, and The Glory of the Conquered, as well as several plays. Her writing focuses largely on women's circumstances and social issues, with a delicate touch and a gift for revealing character and situation through everyday detail. Public information on her life is limited; her birth year, long recorded as 1882, has been corrected by modern scholarship to 1876.