John Enderby

Sir Horatio Gilbert George ParkerProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 62K words
Chapters: 7

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.John Enderby by Gilbert ParkerAuthor: Parker, Gilbert, 1862-1932,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Nov 18, 2004

Editor's review

Gilbert Parker was one of the representative figures of Canadian English literature in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. John Enderby belongs to his narrative works set against the backdrop of North American colonial history and family destiny, carrying the moral tension and plot twists common in Victorian novels. As a public-domain electronic text from Project Gutenberg, this book's barrier to reading lies mainly in language rather than cost of access, making it suitable as a sample for understanding the early face of Canadian English literature or for studying Parker's narrative style. Its value lies not in thrilling plot excitement but in showing how writers of the time handled themes such as identity, loyalty, and personal choice. For readers accustomed to the pace of modern fiction, the opening requires patience; for literary history enthusiasts or English majors, it offers a text for close reading. The electronic edition is convenient for searching and excerpting, suitable for note-taking reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the history of Canadian English literature who are willing to read the original
English majors who need to expand their sample of late nineteenth-century English fiction texts
Readers who enjoy slow-paced classical narrative and can accept a Victorian prose style
Researchers working on public-domain texts who need searchable electronic texts

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer contemporary fast-paced plots and lack patience for classical prose
Those with weak English foundations who cannot yet read nineteenth-century English long sentences smoothly
Those seeking only thrilling adventure stories and uninterested in character psychology and moral issues

Reading tips

Read one chapter first as a trial; if the sentence structure is difficult, use an audiobook or bilingual edition as support.
Prepare paper or electronic notes to record character relationships and clues about the historical background for easy review.
Do not pursue speed; read one or two chapters at a time and allow time to digest the style and context.
After finishing, look up other works by Parker or entries on Canadian literary history to establish the work's coordinates.

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 an English original? How difficult is it to read?

Yes, it is an English original, a late nineteenth- to early twentieth-century English novel with long sentences and rather classical wording. Readers with a college-level English reading foundation can attempt it; initial reading may be slow, and annotations or reference tools are recommended.

What is the difference between the Project Gutenberg edition and ordinary publications?

The Project Gutenberg edition is a public-domain electronic text, free to access and convenient for full-text searching, but it usually lacks annotations, introductions, or proofreading notes from modern editors. It is suitable for reading the original text and text searching, not for beginners who rely on detailed annotations.

Can I understand it without a background in Canadian history?

You can read it, but depth of understanding will be affected. The historical atmosphere and regional background involve some common knowledge that needs supplementing. When reading, pay attention to the social relationships of the characters and, if necessary, look up the basic historical context of colonial Canada.

Comments

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About the author

Sir Horatio Gilbert George Parker Author · Canadian · 1862–1932

Sir Horatio Gilbert George Parker (1862–1932), known as Gilbert Parker, was a Canadian author and politician. Born in Ontario, he worked as a teacher and journalist before settling in London. He is known for novels depicting the lives of French Canadians, notably Pierre and His People and The Seats of the Mighty, the latter held in the library as a complete edition and in several volumes. From 1900 to 1918 he served as a Member of the British House of Commons, making him one of the few Canadian-born figures to achieve distinction in both literature and politics. His works often draw on Canadian history and French-Canadian society, with romantic narrative and attention to character and local setting. The library holds 134 of his works; classification information is limited, as are public records of the details of his writing.