I Will Maintain

Bowen, Marjorie, 1888-1952Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 872K words
Chapters: 88

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.I Will Maintain by Marjorie BowenAuthor: Bowen, Marjorie, 1888-1952,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Nov 18, 2016

Editor's review

I Will Maintain is a historical novel by the British writer Marjorie Bowen, its title taken from a phrase with strong Protestant associations and pointing to the turbulent seventeenth-century Europe where religion and politics intertwined. Bowen was known for historical fiction and skillfully set characters' fates within frameworks of real events; this book continues her concern with power, faith, and loyalty. As a public-domain ebook, it suits readers interested in the tradition of British historical fiction, especially early twentieth-century women's historical writing. Readers should attend to the period background and religious context; knowing the historical outline first makes character motives and narrative tension clearer. The length and pacing bear the marks of their time, suiting patient readers who proceed in sections, and it can also serve as a sample of Bowen's style.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy British historical fiction
Scholars studying early twentieth-century women's historical writing
Those interested in themes of religious and political conflict
Readers accustomed to public-domain English novels

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer contemporary alternate history or fast-paced plots
Those wholly unfamiliar with seventeenth-century European religious background and unwilling to research it
Readers who need a simplified Chinese translation and do not read English

Reading tips

Understand the historical and religious context behind the title before reading
Proceed chapter by chapter, reviewing each character's stance and shifts in allegiance at each chapter's end
Compare with Bowen's other historical novels to observe her choice of material and narrative habits
Look up unfamiliar historical figures as you go so unclear background does not cause you to lose the thread

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

What are the language and genre of this book?

According to the source, the book is in English, classified as PR English literature, and is a historical novel by Marjorie Bowen. Reading it requires the ability to handle a full-length English novel and some interest in its historical background.

What does the title I Will Maintain mean?

The phrase is often associated with declarations of stance in the seventeenth-century European religious and political context, carrying a sense of holding fast to faith or principle. Its specific meaning in the book should be understood through the plot and characters' situations, not interpreted apart from the text.

What background preparation is needed before reading?

It helps to first understand the religious and political landscape of seventeenth-century England and Europe, especially the lines of conflict between Protestants and Catholics. With a basic historical framework, characters' choices and conflicts become easier to grasp.

Is this book suitable for readers studying Bowen?

It works as one sample of Bowen's historical fiction. It shows how she handles historical material and themes of faith and power, and can be read alongside her other works to observe the consistency of her choice of material and narrative style.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Bowen, Marjorie, 1888-1952 Author

Marjorie Bowen (1888–1952) was a British writer best known for her historical novels; her real name was Gabrielle Margaret Vere Long, and Bowen was her usual pen name. Her works are mostly set against European history, and she excelled at intertwining real political struggles and court intrigues with individual destinies, with tightly paced plots and a strong atmosphere. Ten of her works are included in the collection, among them The Viper of Milan, The Master of Stair, God and the King, The Governor of England, and Prince and Heretic; these titles alone show her preference for themes such as shifts of power, religious conflict, and the fate of the nobility. Public information about the details of her life is limited. Her works were popular with readers in the early twentieth century and have had some influence on later popular historical fiction.