Object: Matrimony

Glass, Montague, 1877-1934Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.1

Word count: 46K 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.Object: matrimony by Montague GlassAuthor: Glass, Montague, 1877-1934,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Sep 8, 2011

Editor's review

Object: Matrimony is an English-language work by Montague Glass (1877–1934) whose title is blunt to the point of a joke; it can be rendered as "Target: Marriage." Glass was known for writing about everyday urban life and light comedy, and both the title and the classification point to a secular, unserious look at marriage as a social institution: it reads more like a brisk narrative built around matchmaking calculations, family expectations, and daily manoeuvring than a serious sociological treatise on marriage. As a Project Gutenberg public-domain e-book, its advantages in readability are clear—English original, manageable length, free access—making it suitable for reading in installments on a commute or before bed. Its pleasure lies in the wit of its dialogue and situations; readers should not expect deep psychological analysis or a full social critique. Read as a distorting mirror held up to the marriage views of the Anglo-American middle class a century ago, it is all the more enjoyable. Note that the slang, the language of Jewish immigrant communities, and the period background in this early English text may pose obstacles for those unfamiliar with them.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy light Anglo-American comic fiction and want an easy English original
Readers interested in early twentieth-century views of marriage and everyday urban life
Learners who want to practise extensive reading with a public-domain English work and pick up colloquial expressions
Researchers of popular literature and immigrant-themed texts who need access to primary material

Not a good fit for

Readers hoping for a systematic study of marriage or a sociological argument
Beginners with little patience for early English slang and dialect dialogue, who may become frustrated
Serious fiction readers seeking strong plot conflict or profound insight into human nature

Reading tips

Read in chapter-length segments and, after each chapter, sum up the point of conflict in a sentence or two to keep the pace light.
When you meet slang or dialect dialogue, guess the meaning from context first and look it up after finishing the passage, to avoid constant stopping.
Read dialogue passages aloud to catch the characters' tone and the comic rhythm; this makes the jokes easier to spot than silent reading.
After finishing, compare it with marriage-themed works of the same period and briefly note the differences in the views of marriage it presents.

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 a serious study of marriage?

No. Judging by the title, the author's style, and the work's classification, it is closer to popular narrative or light comedy on the theme of marriage than to a sociological treatise. Readers expecting data, theory, or systematic analysis may be disappointed; it is truer to the text to read it as a period-flavoured story of everyday life.

How difficult is the English? Can a beginner read it?

On the whole it is early English narrative of fairly high readability, but the book may contain slang, dialect-flavoured dialogue, and period expressions that pose a hurdle for non-native beginners. Intermediate reading ability or above is advisable, or use a "read through first, look things up later" approach rather than grinding through word by word.

Why is the title "Object: Matrimony"?

The title has an obvious note of jesting bluntness, presenting "marriage" as a target to be aimed at, pursued, or appraised, which hints that the work turns on marital motives and worldly calculations. The naming itself works like a tagline for a light comedy, signalling that readers should enter the text in a light-hearted frame of mind.

Does this edition have notes or an introduction?

Project Gutenberg editions generally provide the public-domain original text without modern editorial notes, a detailed introduction, or a background chronology. Readers who need help with the slang, immigrant-community language, and period background should consult relevant reference works or studies themselves, and should distinguish between the original text and electronic layout differences.

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About the author

Glass, Montague, 1877-1934 Author

Public information about Montague Glass (1877–1934) is limited, and his writing centers mainly on the lives of Jewish immigrant businessmen in New York. Seven of his works are held in this collection, including Potash & Perlmutter: Their Copartnership Ventures and Adventures, Abe and Mawruss, Potash and Perlmutter Settle Things, Elkan Lubliner, American, The Competitive Nephew, Object: matrimony, and Worrying Won't Win. Most of these follow the business partnership of Potash and Perlmutter, using humorous dialogue and brisk plots to portray the calculations and camaraderie of immigrant merchants in their dealings, while also touching on everyday themes such as marriage and family. Glass was skilled at revealing character and speech through comedy, and his works were popular with readers for their closeness to immigrant life.