Polly Oliver's Problem

Wiggin, Kate Douglas Smith, 1856-1923Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 238K words
Chapters: 24

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.Polly Oliver's Problem by Kate Douglas Smith WigginAuthor: Wiggin, Kate Douglas Smith, 1856-1923,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Apr 15, 2005

Editor's review

Kate Douglas Wiggin was known for writing coming-of-age stories about young girls, and Polly Oliver's Problem continues her focus on how young women face real-life difficulties. The "problem" in the title is not a mystery to be solved but a situation in which one must make one's own decisions while growing up: the pull between ambition, family duty, and self-expectation. The narrative tone is gentle, and the dialogue carries the briskness of American children's literature of the period; it reads lightly, yet conveys the weight of choice. As a public-domain eBook from Project Gutenberg, it is better suited as a sample of late nineteenth- to early twentieth-century Anglo-American girls' fiction than for readers seeking a modern, plot-driven novel. Best read chapter by chapter on a quiet afternoon, paying attention to the protagonist's hesitations and the reasons behind each decision.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in late nineteenth-century Anglo-American coming-of-age novels for girls
Students researching the portrayal of female characters in early children's literature
Casual readers who prefer gentle narratives over strong conflict
English learners looking for graded reading material and public-domain classics

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting modern pacing and strong dramatic conflict
Those who feel distant from old-fashioned narrative voices and period settings
Academic readers needing in-depth textual notes or author research materials

Reading tips

Read chapter by chapter and note one specific choice the protagonist faces at the end of each chapter.
Pay attention to period expressions in the dialogue and keep light notes with a dictionary at hand.
After finishing, return to the dilemma set out at the beginning and compare how the protagonist's way of judging has changed.
For English study, select dialogue passages for reading aloud and retelling practice.

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

What English level is this book suitable for?

The text is the original public-domain English, with period sentence patterns; the vocabulary is not very difficult, but the feel of the language is old-fashioned. It suits readers with intermediate English reading ability who can handle a few unfamiliar words with a dictionary; beginners are advised to start with a simplified edition.

Is the story related to the author's other works?

This is a stand-alone coming-of-age novel by Wiggin, and the materials do not show any direct continuation of characters or plot from her other works. It can be read as a single book without reading others first.

Why does the title include "Problem"?

Here "problem" refers to a real situation the protagonist must face and resolve while growing up, not a detective-style mystery. It invites readers to focus on how the character weighs options and makes choices; while reading, one might keep asking "How will she solve it?"

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About the author

Wiggin, Kate Douglas Smith, 1856-1923 Author

Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin (1856–1923) was an American writer of children's literature. Because public information is limited, the details of her life are not elaborated here. The library holds 37 of her works, covering children's novels, holiday stories, and coming-of-age themes. Her best-known book, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, features a lively and clever country girl, written in a bright, humorous style with close attention to character and everyday life. The Birds' Christmas Carol, Penelope's Progress, Timothy's Quest, New Chronicles of Rebecca, A Cathedral Courtship, and Mother Carey's Chickens likewise center on family, childhood, and warmth. Her writing is fresh and natural, often observing the world through a child's eyes, and her works had a certain influence on English-language children's literature of her time.