In Both Worlds

Holcombe, William H. (William Henry), 1825-1893Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.6

Word count: 565K words
Chapters: 57

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.In Both Worlds by William H. HolcombeAuthor: Holcombe, William H. (William Henry), 1825-1893,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jun 6, 2011

Editor's review

In Both Worlds is a full-length work by nineteenth-century American author William H. Holcombe, classified under American and Canadian literature. Judging from the title and the author's background, the work engages the dual dimensions of this world and the world beyond, of matter and spirit, bearing the spiritual concern and moral speculation common in American literature of the period. As a public-domain text digitized by Project Gutenberg, its value lies chiefly at the level of literary historical documentation: readers may observe the landscape of nineteenth-century American popular fiction and spiritual-theme writing, and understand the issues and narrative tastes that interested readers of the time. The book is suitable as supplementary reading in the history of American literature; its ideas and modes of expression are best viewed in historical perspective, with attention to how the text organizes the contrast between the two worlds and the fate of its characters.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students and scholars of nineteenth-century American literature and popular fiction
Readers interested in literature on spiritual and otherworldly themes
Readers seeking to broaden their reading of English-language public-domain literary works
Readers concerned with the interaction of religion and literature in American intellectual and cultural history

Not a good fit for

General fiction readers seeking contemporary suspense or fast-paced plotting
Beginning readers who need a Chinese translation or detailed annotations
Readers with little interest in nineteenth-century religious and spiritual discourse

Reading tips

Begin with background on nineteenth-century American Spiritualism before entering the text
Note the contrastive structure between this-world and otherworld scenes, and trace the threads of the characters' fates
Record recurring moral and religious vocabulary while reading, and observe its narrative function
Read alongside other American novels of the same period to compare subject matter and narrative approach

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 kind of work is this book?

It is a nineteenth-century American literary work, classified under American and Canadian literature. Judging from the title and the author's writing background, it carries spiritual and otherworldly themes along with moral speculation. It is closer to the popular full-length writing of its time than to genre fiction in the modern sense, and is suitable for reading as literary historical material.

What are the two worlds in the title?

According to the title and the nineteenth-century Spiritualist context in which the author lived, the two worlds generally refer to this world and the world beyond, the material world and the spiritual world. The work most likely unfolds its narrative through the characters' experiences between the two worlds, exploring the relationship between life and death, worldly life and spiritual concern. The specific setup should be based on the original text.

What is the value of reading this book now?

Its value lies mainly at the levels of literary and intellectual history: readers can thereby understand the topics that interested nineteenth-century American readers, the narrative methods of popular fiction, and how religious and spiritual ideas entered literary expression. For readers studying American literature and cultural history, it is a usable original public-domain text.

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About the author

Holcombe, William H. (William Henry), 1825-1893 Author · American · 1825–1893

William H. Holcombe (1825–1893) was an American physician and writer. Public information about his early education and medical career is limited; the library currently holds only two of his works, which show that his writing was not confined to medicine but extended to social and political questions and to religious philosophy. His representative work The Alternative: A Separate Nationality or, The Africanization of the South, as its title suggests, addresses the direction of Southern society and racial issues and bears the strong polemical mark of its time. In Both Worlds turns to more spiritual and speculative themes, reflecting his abiding interest in transcendental and religious-philosophical questions. His writing combines a physician's sober observation with a polemicist's concern for contemporary realities, offering a glimpse into nineteenth-century American social thought and religious-philosophical writing.