Michael cover

Michael

Rating 3.2
Word count
576K words
Chapters
58

Tags

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.Michael by E. F. BensonAuthor: Benson, E. F. (Edward Frederic), 1867-1940,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: May 14, 2006

Editor's review

Michael is a novel by the English writer E. F. Benson, a work within the canon of English literature. Benson was known for his fine social observation and psychological portraiture, and this book continues his engagement with family relationships and individual circumstances, with a measured narrative pace, lively dialogue, and the typical temper of late Victorian to Edwardian English fiction. As a free electronic text from Project Gutenberg, its greatest value lies in accessibility: readers can encounter the work in its original form at no cost, making it suitable as supplementary reading for English literature courses or for independent extensive reading. Readers might note the shifts in narrative perspective and the use of interior monologue, and observe how the author builds tension within everyday scenes. For those studying late nineteenth-century English society or Benson's development, this book offers a primary text worth close reading; for general readers, it is also an approachable entry into the world of English fiction of the period.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • English literature students who need additional samples of late nineteenth-century English fiction
  • Readers interested in the social life of the late Victorian and Edwardian periods
  • Independent learners who want to read English originals for extensive reading using free electronic texts
  • Literature enthusiasts studying E. F. Benson's development

Not a good fit for

  • Contemporary genre-fiction readers who prefer strong plots and fast-paced narratives
  • Beginners whose English reading ability is not yet sufficient for nineteenth-century long sentences
  • Readers who expect a Chinese translation or a heavily annotated edition

Reading tips

  1. Read one chapter first to get a feel for the language's rhythm, then decide whether to read closely or extensively.
  2. Keep a notebook to record character relationships and shifts in perspective, which helps clarify the narrative threads.
  3. Read alongside sources on late nineteenth-century British social history to deepen understanding of the context.
  4. Use the electronic text's search function to revisit key passages of dialogue and psychological description.

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
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51
  52. 52
  53. 53
  54. 54
  55. 55
  56. 56
  57. 57
  58. 58

FAQ

Is this book in Chinese or English?
According to the information, the book is in English. It is a public-domain e-book released by Project Gutenberg, with the main text in the original English; there is no Chinese translation.
What level of English is needed to read this book?
The work was written in the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, with long sentences and fairly formal diction. It is recommended for readers with reading ability at CET-4 level or above, or those who can persevere through long sentences with the help of a dictionary.
What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?
Project Gutenberg was an early provider of free e-books, and this book is a public-domain text it released. It is freely available and generally preserves the original content, but usually does not include modern notes or an introduction.

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About the author

E. F. Benson (full name Edward Frederic Benson, 1867–1940) was a British writer, though public information about his life and nationality available in our records is limited. The collection holds 42 of his works, spanning a wide range of subjects: social comedies such as Queen Lucia and Miss Mapp, satirical sketches such as The Freaks of Mayfair, and novels including Scarlet and Hyssop, The Relentless City, The Angel of Pain and An Autumn Sowing. His writing is marked by witty dialogue and gentle satire, and he excelled at portraying comic figures in provincial towns and upper-class social circles. Light in tone and neatly constructed, his work has a distinctive place in early twentieth-century British popular fiction and is still enjoyed by readers today.

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