Fighting for Peace

Van Dyke, Henry, 1852-1933Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.1

Word count: 215K words
Chapters: 22

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.Fighting For Peace by Henry Van DykeAuthor: Van Dyke, Henry, 1852-1933,Language: English, Class: D501: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: World War I (1914-1918), Release Date: Nov 1, 2006

Editor's review

Written by the American author and clergyman Henry van Dyke and set against the backdrop of World War I, Fighting for Peace is a work of political essays on war and peace. From a moral and civilizational perspective, the author discusses responsibility for war, the conditions of peace, and the postwar order. The style is solemn and strongly argumentative, marked by the era's positions and a religious-ethical tone. For today's readers, its value lies not in neutral historical fact but in showing how intellectuals of the time constructed arguments for entering the war and for peace; it can serve as supplementary material for the intellectual history of WWI and for public speech texts. Readers should note the author's identity and purpose and distinguish factual statements from value claims. Suitable as selected reading for those interested in WWI background, the ethics of war, and the intellectual history of international relations; not recommended as a standalone introductory work on military history.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the intellectual background of World War I and the ethics of war
English learners who want to study modern political essays and the oratorical style
Readers in the humanities and social sciences concerned with pacifism and just war debates

Not a good fit for

Military history readers seeking a complete WWI history and battle details
Readers expecting neutral, objective accounts with multiple perspectives

Reading tips

First learn when the book was written and who the author was, then read the main text to judge its positions.
Excerpt the author's core arguments on responsibility for war and the conditions of peace by theme, and take comparative notes.
Read alongside a general history of WWI, treating this book as intellectual-historical source material rather than a source of facts.
After each chapter, restate the author's claims in your own words to check whether you have grasped the argument's structure.

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 about the military history of WWI?

No. It is closer to political and moral argument, discussing why war occurs and how peace can be built rather than narrating campaigns and military details. For military history, find a general history; this book is suitable as accompanying intellectual background.

Does the author's stance affect reading?

Yes. The author was an American clergyman and writer of the time, and his argument carries clear moral judgments and period positions. When reading, distinguish factual statements from value claims and compare other perspectives; do not take the book's views directly as neutral conclusions.

Is the English original difficult to read?

It is a solemn, rather formal argumentative style with many long sentences and abstract terms, harder than ordinary essays. Read one chapter first to grasp the main idea, then work through details; you need not look up every unfamiliar word—focus on how the argument advances.

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About the author

Van Dyke, Henry, 1852-1933 Author

Henry Van Dyke (1852–1933) was an American author best known for his essays and Christmas stories. Public information about him is limited, and the details of his life are not further documented in this collection. Judging from the works available here, he wrote in a clear, quietly poetic style, dealing with themes of faith, goodwill, and inner growth; his narratives are gentle and carry a strong sense of festival and reflection. The Story of the Other Wise Man, his most widely read short work, follows the journey of a fourth Magi and is often regarded as a classic of Christmas literature; The Lost Word: A Christmas Legend of Long Ago continues in this legendary vein. The Mansion uses allegory to explore life and the world to come, brief in length but lingering in meaning. The essay collection Little Rivers: A Book of Essays in Profitable Idleness turns to nature and leisurely pleasure in an unhurried tone, reflecting his love of outdoor life. Thirty-three of his works are held here, showing that his writing spans fiction, parable, and essay, and that he earned a place in early twentieth-century American popular and holiday reading.