Making His Mark

Horatio Alger, Jr.Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 291K words
Chapters: 30

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.Making His Mark by Jr. Horatio AlgerAuthor: Alger, Horatio, Jr., 1832-1899,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Jul 29, 2017

Editor's review

A quintessential Alger rags-to-riches coming-of-age story that continues the nineteenth-century American inspirational novel tradition: the hero wins his break through honesty, diligence, and resourcefulness in adversity. The book is short, its English plain, and its plot brisk, making it a suitable entry point for English learners encountering nineteenth-century popular literature and a direct window into how American society then imagined and valued individual striving. Readers might note how the author arranges coincidences and opportunities and how sharply good and evil are drawn—both the charm of his work and the point later critics have contested. As a public-domain ebook, it is easy to obtain, suited to reading in fragments or as supplementary material for understanding the genealogy of American juvenile literature.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English learners who want to practice reading with accessible original English
Readers interested in nineteenth-century American popular literature and inspirational narratives
Literature students studying the origins of the coming-of-age novel
General readers seeking a light, brisk short-story reading experience

Not a good fit for

Serious fiction readers who prefer complex character portrayal and psychological depth
Readers expecting contemporary issues and diverse perspectives
Readers clearly averse to moralizing narrative

Reading tips

Read through once for the plot, then revisit the logic of the hero's choices at each turning point
Read alongside background on nineteenth-century American society to understand the story's value premises
Note recurring keywords of character and observe how the author uses plot to confirm them
Use it as extensive reading material: one or two chapters a day, jotting down useful expressions

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

The wording is plain, sentences are short, and the narration is straightforward—roughly suitable for readers with a high-school-level English foundation who can read with a dictionary. The plot moves linearly, and most unfamiliar words are everyday or moral-evaluation terms, so it is not burdensome as extensive reading; beginners can also try an annotated edition.

What are the common features of an Alger-style story?

He often writes of a poor boy who, through honesty, hard work, and resourcefulness, wins the favor of a benefactor and ultimately changes his circumstances. The plot relies on coincidence and sharply drawn good and evil characters, with a clear moralizing tone. Once you know this pattern, his other works offer similar expectations and experiences.

This is a public-domain ebook—what should I watch for when reading?

Public-domain ebooks are prepared and proofread by volunteers and may contain minor layout or punctuation differences that generally do not affect understanding. Choose a clearly formatted edition and focus on plot and language rather than individual formatting issues; when quoting the text, it is best to check another edition.

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About the author

Horatio Alger, Jr. Author · American · 1832–1899

Horatio Alger, Jr. (1832–1899) was an American writer, born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, and died in Natick. He is known for his "rags-to-riches" novels, in which poor boys rise through diligence, integrity, and opportunity. His best-known work, Ragged Dick (1868), depicts the street life and struggles of a New York bootblack. The library holds 101 of his works, including Charlie Codman's Cruise, Dan, the Newsboy, and Bound to Rise; most were written for young readers, with brisk plots and an optimistic tone that typically rewards honest effort. These books deeply influenced nineteenth-century American "self-made" culture, making the "Alger hero" a popular symbol of striving. Public information on other details of his life is limited.