Long Will

Converse, Florence, 1871-1967Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 509K words
Chapters: 51

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.Long Will by Florence ConverseAuthor: Converse, Florence, 1871-1967,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Feb 25, 2013

Editor's review

Long Will is a literary work by the American author Florence Converse, catalogued under Project Gutenberg's American and Canadian literature category. Judging from the title and the author's background, the work has the characteristics of narrative literature: a moderate length and a rather classical prose style. It serves as a useful sample for understanding the writing of American women authors in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Its value lies not in intense plotting but in the rhythm of its narrative and the humanistic warmth of its era. As a public-domain e-book, it can be obtained free of charge and is well suited to readers practising English reading in the original. Note that the language habits of early works differ from contemporary English, which first-time readers may need to adjust to. Overall, this is a book for quiet, attentive reading and for savouring the literary atmosphere of an older age.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers interested in the works of early American women writers
Intermediate to advanced learners who wish to practise reading English originals
Readers who enjoy classical narrative styles and leisurely pacing
Students and enthusiasts studying late nineteenth-century American literature

Not a good fit for

Readers of popular fiction who prefer fast pacing and strong dramatic conflict
Learners still at the beginning stages of English reading who need simple texts
Readers expecting a modern translation or a heavily annotated edition

Reading tips

Read the opening chapters first to get used to the language, then decide whether to read closely or extensively.
Keep a notebook for unfamiliar words and historical context to get more out of the English reading.
Consult biographical material on the author, Converse, to understand the work's historical context.
A steady pace of a fixed number of chapters per day is recommended, to avoid giving up partway through because of the language barrier.

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

What is the novel mainly about?

Available materials only identify it as a work in the American and Canadian literature category and provide no specific plot summary. Readers can obtain the full text from the Project Gutenberg page and learn the story's direction and themes for themselves after reading the opening.

How difficult is the English?

As a work from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, its style is rather classical and its sentences more complex than modern English, placing it at the upper-intermediate level. It is best suited to readers with college-level English or some experience reading originals.

Who is the author Florence Converse?

Sources give her dates as 1871 to 1967 and identify her as an American author. Beyond that, available materials provide no detailed biography or writing history; readers are advised to consult reliable literary reference works.

Can this book be read for free?

Yes. Published by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain free e-book, the full text can be obtained at no cost on its platform and is suitable for reading on a computer or e-reader.

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About the author

Converse, Florence, 1871-1967 Author · American · 1871–1967

Florence Converse (1871–1967) was an American writer whose works are represented in this collection by two titles. Her best-known book, The Story of Wellesley, recounts the history of Wellesley College in a narrative style and remains a useful introduction to the institution; her other notable work, Long Will, shows her range as a novelist. Public information about her life is limited, and no reliable records of her education, positions, or awards are available; readers today chiefly know her through these works. Her writing, both in institutional history and in fiction, is plain and clear, attentive to concrete detail in portraying people and situations. Though her output was small, the distinctive subject matter gives her books a lasting documentary value, and they are still consulted and mentioned by interested readers and researchers.