Joyous Gard

Benson, Arthur Christopher, 1862-1925Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 258K words
Chapters: 26

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.Joyous Gard by Arthur Christopher BensonAuthor: Benson, Arthur Christopher, 1862-1925,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jan 22, 2007

Editor's review

Joyous Gard is a short essay collection by the English writer Arthur Christopher Benson, written in graceful, understated prose in the tradition of the English familiar essay. Benson, a former headmaster of Eton and Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge, writes on everyday life, reading, friendship and the life of the spirit, drawing reflection from ordinary things in a gentle, self-questioning tone. The title comes from Joyous Gard, the castle of Lancelot in Arthurian legend, a symbol of the mind's resting place; the pieces circle around inner peace, ideals of life and views on education. It is best read slowly as a book of thoughts rather than for narrative drive: the pleasure lies in pausing with the author's reflections. Readers who love the English essay tradition and wish to calm the mind through reading will find it congenial; those expecting systematic argument or strong narrative may find it loose. This electronic edition comes from Project Gutenberg, free of copyright restrictions, and is easy to dip into on an e-reader.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who prefer English essays and philosophical prose and savor slow reading
Readers seeking gentle writing to steady the mood and reflect on the meaning of life
Students of English literature wanting contact with early twentieth-century English prose
Readers drawn to Arthurian imagery and willing to read related cultural essays

Not a good fit for

Fiction readers expecting dramatic plots or complete narratives
Readers needing a systematic theoretical framework or practical methodology
Readers with weak English who find early modern prose syntax hard going

Reading tips

Read one or two essays a day, pause afterwards, and note a line that struck you.
Begin with the essays on inner peace and friendship, then return to those on education.
Learn the Arthurian image of Joyous Gard to help understand the title's meaning.
If the English is hard, read a reliable translation for the gist, then return to the original.

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 a novel or a collection of essays?

It is a collection of essays, made up of independent prose pieces on inner cultivation, reading, friendship and ideals of life. There is no continuous plot line, and it suits reading piece by piece.

What does 'Joyous Gard' mean?

Joyous Gard is the name of the castle of the knight Lancelot in Arthurian legend. Benson uses the image to stand for a place of inward settlement, and the title echoes the book's exploration of inner peace.

Can readers with average English manage it?

The book was written in the early twentieth century, with long sentences and elegant diction, so it poses a certain threshold for English readers. It is advisable to read a Chinese translation or introduction for the content first, then closely read a short original piece, without insisting on finishing the whole.

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

Benson, Arthur Christopher, 1862-1925 Author

Arthur Christopher Benson (1862–1925) was an English writer whose 18 works are held in this collection, commonly classified under inspirational and personal growth. Public information is limited, and details of his life are difficult to verify, yet his writings reveal a clear authorial bent. Essay collections such as Essays, Beside Still Waters, The Thread of Gold and The Silent Isle dwell on inner experience and reflections on life, in a gentle, restrained prose that carries a contemplative and gently exhortatory tone; The Isles of Sunset and The Child of the Dawn use imagination and allegory to express a longing for spiritual peace. Hugh: Memoirs of a Brother and Memoirs of Arthur Hamilton recall departed friends in a sincere biographical manner. His works often draw moral and spiritual reflection from everyday observation, in a calm, inward style suited to readers seeking consolation and self-growth.