Peter cover

Peter

Rating 3.0
Word count
509K words
Chapters
51

Tags

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.Peter by E. F. BensonAuthor: Benson, E. F. (Edward Frederic), 1867-1940,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 22, 2018

Editor's review

Peter is a novel by the British author E. F. Benson, a public-domain English literary work freely distributed by Project Gutenberg. Benson lived from 1867 to 1940, and his writing spanned the late Victorian and Edwardian eras; his novels often centre on family relationships, social circles and turning points in his characters' fortunes. The book takes its title from its protagonist, Peter, and readers must turn to the text itself for the specific plot; no synopsis is provided in the source material, so it would be wrong to assume details of subject matter. Its value for readers lies in its leisurely English narration, which offers a view of the social observation characteristic of early twentieth-century British fiction; the language is of moderate difficulty, making it suitable as extensive reading in public-domain English fiction. For readers studying Benson's prolific output or collecting Project Gutenberg entries in British literature, this is a worthwhile addition. A caution: it is not a modern-style plot-driven thriller, nor does it excel in experimental narrative, so expectations about pace and suspense should be adjusted accordingly.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Readers with intermediate English proficiency who enjoy early British fiction
  • Enthusiasts studying the work of E. F. Benson or Edwardian literature
  • E-book readers collecting public-domain English novels from Project Gutenberg
  • Readers who wish to build a feel for English narrative through extensive reading in the original

Not a good fit for

  • Beginners who struggle with English and need a Chinese translation
  • Readers who prefer plot-driven, fast-paced suspense or thrillers
  • Researchers seeking detailed biographies of the author and textual scholarship

Reading tips

  1. Read the first two chapters to get a feel for the narrative pace and character relationships, then decide whether to read closely or extensively.
  2. Mark unfamiliar social terms and look them up after finishing the chapter.
  3. Read alongside other Edwardian British novels to observe techniques of social observation.
  4. If using the book for English study, retell the main events in two or three sentences after each chapter.

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.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51

FAQ

Is this book in the original English? How difficult is it?
The book is in the original English and is a public-domain e-book from Project Gutenberg. The language is moderately difficult, with sentence patterns typical of early British fiction, so it suits readers with some foundation in English; beginners may need a dictionary or notes.
The source material has no synopsis. Can I tell what kind of book it is?
The source material gives only the author, language, category and publication date, with no plot summary. It is certain that this is a novel by E. F. Benson, but specific subject matter or plot should not be invented. Readers are advised to read the opening or consult other reliable bibliographic sources before deciding whether it suits their interests.
Why is it recommended to readers studying Benson?
Because it is one of Benson's public-domain entries on Project Gutenberg, freely available and easy to consult in the original. It can serve as supplementary reading for those collecting his works or observing the range of his prolific output; however, the source material does not indicate where this book stands in Benson's oeuvre, so it should not be over-interpreted.

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About the author

E. F. Benson (full name Edward Frederic Benson, 1867–1940) was a British writer, though public information about his life and nationality available in our records is limited. The collection holds 42 of his works, spanning a wide range of subjects: social comedies such as Queen Lucia and Miss Mapp, satirical sketches such as The Freaks of Mayfair, and novels including Scarlet and Hyssop, The Relentless City, The Angel of Pain and An Autumn Sowing. His writing is marked by witty dialogue and gentle satire, and he excelled at portraying comic figures in provincial towns and upper-class social circles. Light in tone and neatly constructed, his work has a distinctive place in early twentieth-century British popular fiction and is still enjoyed by readers today.

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