In Greek Waters: A Story of the Grecian War of Independence

Henty, G. A. (George Alfred), 1832-1902Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.4

Word count: 791K words
Chapters: 80

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 Greek Waters: A Story of the Grecian War of Independence by G. A. HentyAuthor: Henty, G. A. (George Alfred), 1832-1902,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Mar 8, 2013

Editor's review

This is a historical adventure novel by the British author G. A. Henty, set against the Greek War of Independence and following his familiar narrative model of a young hero placed at the center of major historical events. The work interweaves the experiences of fictional characters with the actual course of history, allowing readers to encounter the voyages, battles, and political entanglements of the Greek War of Independence through the protagonist's perspective, combining maritime adventure with the popularization of historical knowledge. Henty's narrative moves briskly and his plotting is direct, making the book suitable as an introduction to English-language historical fiction and useful for readers interested in nineteenth-century adventure literature for young readers as an example of how the genre typically works. It should be noted that the work carries attitudes and turns of phrase common among Victorian writers, and should be read today with a sense of historical context. The electronic edition is provided by Project Gutenberg, making it easy to search and read alongside other texts.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English-language readers who enjoy historical adventure fiction
Readers who want to learn about the Greek War of Independence through fiction
Students studying nineteenth-century literature for young readers as a genre
Advanced learners seeking to expand their reading with original English texts

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking rigorous historical analysis
Readers who prefer modern pacing and complex psychological characterization
Beginners whose English reading ability is not yet sufficient for a full-length original novel

Reading tips

Before reading, learn the basic timeline of the Greek War of Independence so as to recognize the historical background in the novel.
Read with a map at hand and mark the seas and places mentioned in the book to strengthen the sense of space.
Annotate strongly period-specific turns of phrase and reflect on their stance and context after finishing.
If using the book for English study, excerpt several historical and nautical terms from each chapter and compile them into a list.

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 a work of history or a novel?

It is a historical adventure novel. Set against the Greek War of Independence, it interweaves fictional characters' experiences with real historical events; its main purpose is to tell a story rather than to offer rigorous historical argument.

Do I need to know about the Greek War of Independence before reading?

Not strictly, but prior familiarity with the general course of the war will help. The novel assumes some basic knowledge of the history, and without that background it may be difficult to tell which characters and events are historical fact.

Where does the electronic edition come from, and is it complete?

This edition is released by Project Gutenberg as part of its free eBook project and generally provides the full text; the specific formatting and completeness can be checked on the download page.

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

Henty, G. A. (George Alfred), 1832-1902 Author

George Alfred Henty (1832–1902) was a well-known British writer of historical adventure novels for young readers in the nineteenth century. The collection here contains 107 of his works, most of them drawn from major historical events in Europe and the Americas: By Right of Conquest is set during Cortez's conquest of Mexico, Under Wellington's Command takes the Peninsular War as its background, and For the Temple deals with the fall of Jerusalem. He typically placed a young hero at the centre of real historical scenes, weaving military campaigns and political struggles together with personal adventure. The plots are tightly paced and rich in detail, and they reflect a distinctly British outlook and the moral tastes of the Victorian age. His output was considerable, and his books had a lasting influence on later historical adventure fiction. Public information about his family, education and career is limited, so no speculation is offered here.