Lore of Proserpine

Hewlett, Maurice, 1861-1923Project Gutenberg · United StatesMar 2023

3.0

Word count: 325K words
Chapters: 33

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.Lore of Proserpine by Maurice HewlettAuthor: Hewlett, Maurice, 1861-1923,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 1, 2006

Editor's review

Lore of Proserpine is Maurice Hewlett's literary retelling of, and meditation on, the myth of Proserpine. In prose, Hewlett blends classical myth, natural imagery and personal imagination, turning the story of the queen of the underworld from plain narrative into a metaphorical writing of life, death and the cycle of the seasons. Its value lies not in scholarly mythography but in reshaping an ancient legend through the rhythm of English prose; readers can sense how a twentieth-century English writer gave lyrical treatment to classical tradition. The language is formal and the sentences expansive, rewarding slow, attentive reading, and it suits especially readers interested in the literary reception of Greek and Roman myth who are willing to enjoy a prose retelling. As a public-domain eBook it is also an accessible text for studying Hewlett's style and the evolution of English prose. Read it as a literary essay rather than a mythological encyclopedia, attending to image and tone rather than density of plot.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in literary rewritings and retellings of Greek and Roman myth
Those who enjoy formal English prose and are willing to read slowly for its rhythm
Literature enthusiasts studying classical subjects in early twentieth-century English writing
Learners needing a public-domain English text for reading practice or textual analysis

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking systematic mythological genealogies or scholarly source material
General fiction readers who prefer strong plot and fast narrative
Beginners not yet proficient in English who need extensive annotation

Reading tips

Learn the basic outline of the Proserpine myth first to ease the burden of following the plot.
Read slowly chapter by chapter, noting how natural imagery corresponds to the themes of seasons, life and death.
Compare with relevant passages in Ovid or Homer to observe where Hewlett's rewriting places its emphasis.
Keep a notebook of recurring images and shifts in tone to grasp the whole.

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 collection of myths or a literary essay?

It is closer to a literary retelling and prose meditation than to a systematically arranged collection of myths. Hewlett uses the Proserpine legend as a thread for imagination and lyricism, focusing on language, imagery and atmosphere rather than listing mythical events in full or providing scholarly notes.

How difficult is the English, and what level is it for?

The text is early twentieth-century prose with long sentences and formal diction, harder than popular fiction. It suits upper-intermediate to advanced readers who can accept a slow pace; beginners should use a dictionary and background material on the myth, or read a Chinese summary first.

As a public-domain eBook, what should I note about the edition?

The book comes from Project Gutenberg as a public-domain electronic text, generally preserving the original English and paragraphing, and may lack modern notes or an introduction. Readers should supplement the mythological background themselves and note that the electronic layout may differ from print editions.

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

Hewlett, Maurice, 1861-1923 Author

Maurice Hewlett (1861–1923) was an English writer whose biographical details are limited in publicly available sources, yet his surviving works reveal the character of his writing. Fifteen of his works are held in this collection, drawing chiefly on history and legend while also touching on rural life and human destiny. Representative titles include Little Novels of Italy, The Forest Lovers, The Village Wife's Lament, In a Green Shade, The Spanish Jade, The Fool Errant, The Ruinous Face, and Gudrid the Fair. These titles suggest a preference for restrained storytelling about emotion, adventure, and everyday experience, balancing historical atmosphere with observation of human nature. His works are often grouped under inspirational and coming-of-age reading, and their classical tone suits readers interested in the English literary tradition and historical narrative.