No Defense, Complete

Sir Horatio Gilbert George ParkerProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 451K words
Chapters: 46

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.No Defense, Complete by Gilbert ParkerAuthor: Parker, Gilbert, 1862-1932,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Nov 20, 2004

Editor's review

No Defense, Complete is a full-length novel by the Canadian author Gilbert Parker, in the American and Canadian literature category, offered as a free e-book by Project Gutenberg. Parker's works are often driven by plot and character relationships, and this complete edition lets readers take in the whole story at once without the interruptions of serial volumes. As a public-domain e-book it is easy to obtain and makes a good introduction to English popular fiction of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. While reading, it is worth noticing how the novel handles conflict and moral dilemmas, and the balance between narrative pace and character development. For readers studying Parker's work or literary exchange between Britain, America and Canada, the book can serve as one point of reference in his output. Note that the electronic edition is in the original English and, as a Gutenberg text, focuses on readability with limited notes or introduction; readers need some English reading ability and should fill in background information themselves.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General English readers who want to read public-domain English novels for free
Literature students studying Canadian literature or Parker's work
Readers who prefer a complete long novel to serial volumes
Learners who need original English texts for extensive reading practice

Not a good fit for

Readers who want a Chinese translation or a bilingual edition
Researchers who need detailed notes, introductions and scholarly commentary
Readers who prefer fast-paced contemporary narrative and have little patience for older fiction

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the main thread, then go back to the characters' motives at key turning points.
Jot down character relationships as you read so English names do not make you lose track.
Read alongside Parker's other works to observe how his narrative methods carry over.
For language study, set a fixed number of chapters a day and copy out long sentences for close reading.

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 Chinese or English?

It is in the original English, a free e-book from Project Gutenberg, labeled under American and Canadian literature; no Chinese translation is mentioned, so readers need English reading ability.

What is the difference between the Complete edition and the serial volumes?

Complete means the full content is included, so readers can finish the whole work at once instead of waiting between volumes or switching files as with the serial edition; it is better for following the plot and characters continuously.

Do I need to know Parker's other works before reading?

No. The book can be read on its own, but if you want to understand the overall shape of Parker's writing, you can look up the subjects and styles of his other novels afterward as background.

Comments

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About the author

Sir Horatio Gilbert George Parker Author · Canadian · 1862–1932

Sir Horatio Gilbert George Parker (1862–1932), known as Gilbert Parker, was a Canadian author and politician. Born in Ontario, he worked as a teacher and journalist before settling in London. He is known for novels depicting the lives of French Canadians, notably Pierre and His People and The Seats of the Mighty, the latter held in the library as a complete edition and in several volumes. From 1900 to 1918 he served as a Member of the British House of Commons, making him one of the few Canadian-born figures to achieve distinction in both literature and politics. His works often draw on Canadian history and French-Canadian society, with romantic narrative and attention to character and local setting. The library holds 134 of his works; classification information is limited, as are public records of the details of his writing.