John Forster

Fitzgerald, Percy, 1834-1925Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 119K words
Chapters: 12

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 Forster by Percy FitzgeraldAuthor: Fitzgerald, Percy, 1834-1925,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jun 12, 2007

Editor's review

This biography of John Forster by Percy Fitzgerald profiles the eminent Victorian biographer and critic John Forster. A close friend of Dickens and his first biographer, Forster was also a key promoter of the literary circles of his day; the book recounts his life, friendships, and writing, offering readers a concrete, intimate window into nineteenth-century English literary life. Percy Fitzgerald was himself a prolific biographer, and his prose carries the narrative style of Victorian biography, emphasizing personal relationships and period atmosphere rather than the rigorous documentation of modern scholarship. Through this book readers can encounter Forster, a figure often mentioned but seldom discussed on his own, and catch sidelong glimpses of Dickens and other literary men. It is best read alongside a basic familiarity with Victorian literary history, which makes it more rewarding.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Victorian English literary history and the social world of writers
Those studying Dickens and his circle who want to know about Forster's life
General readers who enjoy traditional narrative biography
Self-learners who need background material on nineteenth-century English literature

Not a good fit for

Researchers who prefer modern scholarly standards and require detailed notes and documentary evidence
Readers hoping for a detailed biography of Dickens himself rather than of his friend
Complete beginners with no knowledge of nineteenth-century English literature and little patience

Reading tips

First learn about John Forster's relationship with Dickens and the basics of his Life of Dickens, then begin the text.
Keep a Victorian literary chronology at hand while reading to map the network of personal relationships.
Read in sections by chapter, noting the people and events in each to avoid confusing names.

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 written by John Forster himself?

No. It is a biography of John Forster written by Percy Fitzgerald; Forster is the subject, not the author. Forster himself is known for works such as his Life of Dickens, while this book recounts his life and literary activity.

Is this book suitable for researching Dickens?

It can serve as supplementary material. It touches on Forster's association with Dickens and offers sidelong information, but its subject is Forster, not Dickens, so it is not a specialized Dickens study and should not be a primary source for Dickens research.

What language skills does reading this book require?

This is the original English text, from Project Gutenberg, and is a public-domain e-book. Readers need a fair command of English, especially an ability to adapt to the sentence patterns and vocabulary of nineteenth-century biography.

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About the author

Fitzgerald, Percy, 1834-1925 Author

Percy Fitzgerald (1834–1925) was an English author whose biographical details are sparsely documented in public sources, and whose name is chiefly associated with Dickens studies. Six of his works are held here, most of them centred on The Pickwick Papers—Bardell v. Pickwick, Pickwickian Manners and Customs and Pickwickian Studies—which examine the novel's legal case, its customs and manners, and textual details, showing a careful interest in Dickens's characters and the life of their time. Another work, John Forster, concerns Dickens's biographer and friend. A Day's Tour and Picturesque London turn to travel writing and the city scene, in a realistic, anecdotal vein. His writing is notable for documentary research and the reconstruction of background, and will appeal to readers interested in Victorian literature and the history of London life.