Ovington's Bank

Weyman, Stanley John, 1855-1928Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 858K words
Chapters: 86

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.Ovington's Bank by Stanley John WeymanAuthor: Weyman, Stanley John, 1855-1928,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Feb 26, 2012

Editor's review

Ovington's Bank is a novel by the English author Stanley John Weyman, a work of English literature now released by Project Gutenberg as a free eBook. Weyman was known for historical and adventure fiction, and this book centers on a bank, carrying the tensions of family, property, and social relationships common in late Victorian novels. For readers curious about the character of late nineteenth-century popular fiction in England, the novel offers a window: the bank is not only a financial institution but also a stage where characters' fates converge. The electronic edition is easy to search and excerpt, making it a useful supplementary text for the popular-fiction branch of an English literature course, and suitable for readers interested in British historical fiction to read in sections on a commute or before bed. Note that this is the original English text, so some English reading ability is required; and as a public-domain eBook it has no modern introduction or notes, so readers may need to look up background information themselves.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English majors who need to expand their reading of Victorian popular fiction
Readers interested in British historical fiction who want a bank-themed narrative
Self-learners with some English who are used to reading public-domain eBooks
Literary researchers focused on Weyman's work or late nineteenth-century popular literature

Not a good fit for

Beginners with limited English reading ability, for whom the original text may be frustrating
Readers expecting modern notes and introductions, which this public-domain eBook lacks
Readers who prefer fast-paced suspense or contemporary fiction, as the narrative pace here is more traditional

Reading tips

Learn about Weyman's life and literary background first, then enter the text, to better grasp the period context
Read in sections by chapter, and summarize each chapter in one sentence afterward to avoid confusing the characters' relationships
Look up financial or legal terms as they come up rather than reading word by word, to keep the reading flowing
Read alongside social histories of late nineteenth-century Britain to deepen understanding of the bank setting

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 the original English edition, and what English level is needed?

This is the original English text, released by Project Gutenberg. A reading level of CET-4 or above is suggested, or the ability to read nineteenth-century English fiction fairly smoothly with a dictionary. The text has no modern notes, so rare words and period background must be looked up, and reading will be somewhat slower than with contemporary novels.

What are the features of Project Gutenberg eBooks?

Project Gutenberg was the first project to offer free eBooks, founded by Michael Hart in 1971. Its eBooks are mostly public-domain works, free to download, with texts proofread by volunteers but usually without modern introductions, notes, or illustrations. They are easy to search and excerpt, and convenient to read on various devices.

Do I need to know British banking history before reading this book?

Systematic study of banking history is not necessary, but some knowledge of how nineteenth-century British banks operated and their social standing will help. This is a novel, not a financial history; the focus is on characters and plot. If unfamiliar financial terms come up, a quick lookup is enough and will not affect overall reading.

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About the author

Weyman, Stanley John, 1855-1928 Author

Stanley John Weyman (1855–1928) was a British writer of historical novels, known for vivid scenes and tightly plotted adventure romances. Thirty of his works are held in this collection, mostly set in sixteenth- to eighteenth-century France and England and often involving religious wars, court intrigue and chivalric adventure. His representative novel A Gentleman of France, cast as the memoirs of Gaston de Bonne, is joined by Under the Red Robe, Shrewsbury, The Wild Geese and For the Cause, which likewise follow characters caught in historical upheaval. His fiction is notable for atmosphere and narrative pace; it found readers in its day and influenced later English historical adventure fiction. Because public information is limited, his early life and education are not discussed here.