Misrepresentative Women

Harry GrahamProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 41K words
Chapters: 5

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.Misrepresentative Women by Harry GrahamAuthor: Graham, Harry, 1874-1936,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Mar 24, 2013

Editor's review

This is an English-language work by the British writer Harry Graham, made available as a free eBook by Project Gutenberg. Graham is known for his light verse and humorous tone; this book takes "misrepresented women" as its theme, presenting the author's observations and teasing depictions of female figures through a series of character sketches. Its value lies in offering a sample of gender attitudes in late Victorian to Edwardian popular English literature: the language is witty and the pieces are short, making it a suitable primer for the style of English humorous verse of the period. Readers need not look for a continuous plot and can treat it as a set of character vignettes to read in fragments during commutes or before bed. For those studying gender representation or English versified humor, it can serve as supplementary material, though its period limitations should be kept in mind and its views should not be taken as serious social analysis.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in late Victorian to Edwardian popular English literature
English learners who enjoy English humorous verse and light comic sketches and want easy reading
Beginning readers studying the representation of women in literature, as supplementary material
Readers accustomed to reading short pieces in fragmented time such as commutes

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting systematic gender-studies theory or serious sociological analysis
Readers who need a complete plot narrative and prefer full-length novels
Beginners whose English reading ability is not yet sufficient for verse and period slang

Reading tips

First read one piece straight through to feel the rhythm of the verse and the humorous tone, then skip-read other character sketches as interest dictates.
When encountering period slang or allusions, mark them first and look them up after finishing the piece, so as not to interrupt the reading rhythm.
Read alongside short works by other Edwardian humorists to appreciate differences in expression within the same kind of writing.
Jot down notes on how the book portrays women as material for reflecting on the gender attitudes of the era.

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 a novel or poetry?

Judging from Graham's style and the book's theme, it is closer to a collection of humorous character sketches written in verse than to a plot-driven novel. For the genre of specific pieces, refer to the main text of the eBook; it can be read as a set of independent character vignettes.

Can I read this book if my English is not good?

This is an English original containing verse and period expressions, so it demands a certain level of English reading ability. If your English is weak, it is advisable to first use an annotated edition or a parallel translation to grasp the content before attempting the original; otherwise slang and allusions may easily get in the way.

Are the views on women in this book still applicable today?

The book bears clear marks of its era, and its humor and teasing rest on the gender attitudes of the time. Today it is better read as a historical text for observing how women were spoken of in that era, rather than taken directly as a reference for views on real life.

What are the features of the Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg provides a free electronic text that is easy to obtain and search on a computer or e-reader. This edition is mainly a transcription of the public-domain original and usually contains no modern introduction or detailed notes, so readers need to fill in background knowledge themselves.

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About the author

Harry Graham Author · English · 1874–1936

Harry Graham (1874–1936) was a British journalist, humorous poet and lyricist, born on 23 December 1874 and died in London on 30 October 1936. Educated at Eton and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, he served early on as an officer in the Coldstream Guards and later became known by the pen name "Colonel D. Streamer." Graham made his name with collections of darkly comic verse, including Ruthless Rhymes for Heartless Homes and Perverted Proverbs, works that often subvert moral lessons and everyday common sense in playful rhyme laced with cool irony. He also wrote lyrics for several musical comedies, showing a versatile way with words. The library holds 10 of his works, commonly classified under inspirational growth, though his writing is closer to British comic and satirical verse. Public information is limited.