Otherwise Phyllis

Meredith NicholsonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 746K words
Chapters: 75

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.Otherwise Phyllis by Meredith NicholsonAuthor: Nicholson, Meredith, 1866-1947,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Feb 7, 2009

Editor's review

Otherwise Phyllis is a novel by the American writer Meredith Nicholson and falls under the category of American and Canadian literature; it is now available as a free eBook through Project Gutenberg. Nicholson was active in the American literary world in the early twentieth century, and his novels often take women's lives and family relationships in everyday settings as their point of entry, with a gentle tone that never lacks observation. The book centers on the heroine Phyllis, and "Otherwise" in the title hints at another possibility beyond conventional expectations, allowing readers to see the author's delicate portrayal of women's character and circumstances. As a public-domain literary work, its value lies in offering a window onto the landscape of early twentieth-century American popular fiction; the narrative pace is unhurried, making it suitable for readers who enjoy classic English literature and wish to feel the atmosphere of an older way of life. When reading, one need not seek strong plot conflict, but may attend to the unfolding of dialogue and characters' psychology, and appreciate the narrative pleasures of fiction of that era. For readers studying American literature or the evolution of the English language, this is also a freely accessible primary text.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English-literature fans who enjoy early twentieth-century American fiction
Readers who want to learn about the texture of older American life through public-domain eBooks
Students or teachers studying English narrative language and portrayals of women
Readers accustomed to slow-paced classics that emphasize character portrayal

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking modern genre fiction with strong plots and fast pacing
Beginners with limited English reading ability who need a Chinese translation for support
Researchers hoping for a version with detailed annotations or a scholarly introduction

Reading tips

Read the opening chapters first to become familiar with the character relationships and narrative tone, then decide on a reading pace
Keep pen and paper handy to note character clues in dialogue, which helps in grasping the figure of Phyllis
Read it alongside other American novels about women from the same period to appreciate shared features of the era
Use the eBook's search function to revisit passages where characters appear and clarify the plot lines

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?

The original is in English, and Project Gutenberg provides an English electronic text. The language is early twentieth-century American English with a fairly unhurried style; readers with a basic grounding in English can read it directly, while beginners may need a dictionary.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg was the earliest project to provide free eBooks, and this edition is a public-domain electronic text that can be obtained free of charge and usually contains no modern editorial notes or introduction. Readers get the original text of the work, suitable for independent reading and research use.

Do I need to know the author's background to read this book?

There is no need to study the author's life in advance. Knowing that Nicholson was an early twentieth-century American writer whose works often focus on everyday people and family relationships is enough to help orient one's reading; deeper background can be added as interest dictates during reading.

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

Meredith Nicholson Author · American · 1866–1947

Meredith Nicholson (1866–1947) was an American author, political figure, and diplomat from Indiana. He is best known as a novelist who, together with Booth Tarkington and others, helped create a golden age of Indiana literature. His representative works include The House of a Thousand Candles, The Port of Missing Men, and A Hoosier Chronicle, all of which were national bestsellers. His fiction often blends mystery, social manners, and local life, with engaging plots and fluent prose that won him a wide readership. Beyond literature, he served as U.S. minister to Paraguay, Venezuela, and Nicaragua, achieving distinction in diplomacy as well. The library holds twelve of his works, including The Madness of May, Blacksheep! Blacksheep!, The Siege of the Seven Suitors, Lady Larkspur, and Otherwise Phyllis. Public information is limited, and further details of his life and full body of work remain to be studied.