Laicus; or, The Experiences of a Layman in a Country Parish

Abbott, Lyman, 1835-1922Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.2
Word count
358K words
Chapters
36

Tags

English Originals Religion Social ObservationPortrait GallerySpiritual PracticeDaily ReflectionsMoral Cultivation

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.Laicus; Or, the Experiences of a Layman in a Country Parish. by Lyman AbbottAuthor: Abbott, Lyman, 1835-1922,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jan 1, 2004

Editor's review

This book recounts, in the first person, a layman's experiences and observations in a country parish, and belongs to a relatively personal vein of late nineteenth- to early twentieth-century American writing on religious life. The author, Lyman Abbott, had a background in writing and religious commentary, and the book presents parish life through concrete scenes and encounters with people, discussing how faith takes root in ordinary lives rather than engaging in abstract doctrinal debate. Its value lies in offering a gentle observational perspective: how a layman understands the minister's work, parish relationships, and community ethics, allowing readers to grasp the atmosphere and language of American rural religious life at the time. The prose is generally plain, with an essayistic narrative quality; it suits readers seeking background on religious history and American social history, and those interested in narratives of parish life may also dip into it casually. Note that the book's concerns and context are far removed from the present, so it is best read with historical background in mind rather than as a doctrinal guide.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Not a good fit for

Reading tips

  1. Read the preface or opening chapters first to confirm the narrative perspective and historical context before committing to the whole book
  2. Take brief notes on people and scenes chapter by chapter to help map the parish's network of relationships
  3. Read alongside material on late nineteenth-century American rural society to understand the context of the parish system
  4. Can be read as bedtime essay-style reading, one or two chapters at a time, without rushing

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.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36

FAQ

Is this book a novel or documentary writing? It is closer to a first-person account of parish experience, essayistic and observational in nature, rather than a plot-driven novel. Readers should focus on the narrator's observational angle and the historical context rather than expecting the setup, development, climax, and resolution of a fictional story.
Can I understand it without knowing American religious background? Basically yes, but some parish structures and church terminology will need checking. It is advisable to first learn the basic organizational forms of late nineteenth-century American rural churches; reading will then be much smoother, and it will be easier to understand the logic behind the characters' behavior.
Is it suitable as a textbook for church history courses? It is better suited as supplementary background reading than as a systematic textbook. In courses, selected chapters can be used alongside historical sources for discussion to help students sense the tone and details of parish life at the time, but it should not replace formal historical research works.

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About the author

Abbott, Lyman, 1835-1922 Author · American · 1835–1922

Lyman Abbott (1835–1922) was an American Congregational minister and editor who served for many years as editor of The Outlook magazine, exercising a certain influence in American religious and public life. One work by him is held in this collection, Laicus Or, the Experiences of a Layman in a Country Parish. Written from the perspective of a layman, the book recounts observations and experiences in a rural parish; its subject is close to everyday church life, and its tone is plain and observant. With his dual role as pastor and editor, Abbott typically wrote for general readers, valuing readability and practical concern rather than abstruse doctrinal argument. Public information on his early life, education and specific appointments is limited, and no conjecture is offered here. Overall, his work offers a useful reference for understanding nineteenth-century American rural parish life and the religious experience of laypeople.