Manslaughter

Alice Duer MillerProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 385K words
Chapters: 39

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.Manslaughter by Alice Duer MillerAuthor: Miller, Alice Duer, 1874-1942,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Sep 23, 2010

Editor's review

This novel by Alice Duer Miller revolves around a case of manslaughter, using the incident as a entry point to gradually reveal the characters' struggles between moral responsibility and legal consequences. Miller's narrative pace is restrained, and she excels at advancing the plot through dialogue and scene, prompting readers to ask "who is responsible" while also considering the possibility of forgiveness and redemption. As an early twentieth-century American novel, it carries a distinct awareness of social observation, touching on class, reputation, and human weakness. The public-domain electronic edition provided by Project Gutenberg is convenient for searching and citation at any time, suitable for use in literature classes, book clubs, or leisure reading. When reading, pay attention to how the author handles the intersection of legal procedure and character psychology, as well as the general social attitudes toward negligence and punishment at the time; these details allow the work to transcend its plot and become an entry point for understanding the American literary tradition.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy early American novels and are interested in moral and legal issues
Teachers who need public-domain English texts for literature course preparation
Book club members looking for classic novels with room for discussion
General readers interested in the social landscape of early twentieth-century America

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer fast-paced suspense or strong plot twists
Readers who want a Chinese translation and are not used to reading English originals
Readers who lack patience for legal procedure details and only want the romance line

Reading tips

Read through the plot first, then revisit key trial and dialogue passages to trace changes in the characters' responsibilities.
Record each point of moral choice while reading and compare the differing positions of the characters.
Consult background materials on early twentieth-century American society to understand the work's depiction of reputation and class.
If used for a book club, design discussion questions around "negligence versus intent" to encourage multiple perspectives.

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 book in the original English? How difficult is it to read?

This is a public-domain English e-book released by Project Gutenberg. The language is early twentieth-century English; the sentence structure is not overly complex, but some vocabulary and expressions differ from contemporary English. Readers with a college-level English reading foundation can finish it with a dictionary, and literature majors will find it easier.

What is the novel mainly about?

The work centers on a case of manslaughter and presents the legal and moral situations of the people involved after the incident. The plot advances through dialogue and scene changes, with the focus not on the investigation but on the determination of responsibility and changes in human hearts, making it suitable for readers interested in ethical issues.

Is it suitable as classroom teaching material?

Yes. As a public-domain text, it is easy to obtain and of moderate length, suitable for selected readings in American literature or interdisciplinary courses on law and literature. Teachers can excerpt trial and dialogue passages and organize students to discuss themes such as responsibility, forgiveness, and social judgment.

Do I need to know the author's background before reading?

There is no need to study the author's biography in advance. The novel has a complete plot and can be read directly. For deeper understanding, readers can look up Alice Duer Miller's era and writing style after finishing, then revisit the details of social observation in the text.

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

Alice Duer Miller Author · American · 1874–1942

Alice Duer Miller (1874–1942) was an American poet, novelist, and suffragist. Born on Staten Island, New York, and a graduate of Barnard College, she is best known for her 1915 book of satirical verse Are Women People?, which supported women's suffrage and gave the movement a phrase that became a popular slogan. Her writing spanned poetry and popular fiction, often addressing marriage, family, and social manners in a witty, briskly satirical style; several of her works, including Ladies Must Live and Manslaughter, were adapted into films. Seven of her works are included in this collection, commonly categorized under inspirational and personal growth.