Proverbial Philosophy

Project GutenbergProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 496K words
Chapters: 50

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.Proverbial Philosophy by Martin Farquhar TupperAuthor: ,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Sep 27, 2015

Editor's review

Proverbial Philosophy is a collection of prose poems in aphoristic form by the English writer Martin Farquhar Tupper, released free in English by Project Gutenberg. It does not rely on plot but strings together maxims, proverbs, and meditative passages on themes such as life, family, friendship, work, and faith, carrying the moral exhortatory tone characteristic of the Victorian era. Its value lies in its verbal rhythm and density of aphorism: many passages are suited to excerpting and slow reading, inviting the reader to pause and reflect on short sentences. As a public-domain e-book it is easy to search and carry, and it also serves as a sample of "aphoristic prose" and nineteenth-century popular philosophical writing for the English literature classroom. Note that its preachy tone and period attitudes are distant from contemporary readers, and it should not be read as a systematic work of philosophy. The ideal approach is to read one or two pieces a day with notes, treating it as an English book of maxims to return to.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy English maxims, proverbs, and excerpting short passages
Students seeking to understand nineteenth-century British popular philosophical writing
English learners who want short daily reading material and prefer slow reading
Literature lovers interested in Victorian moral prose

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a full plot or narrative work
Those hoping for systematic philosophical argument and a rigorous system
Readers sensitive to a preachy tone and outdated moral views

Reading tips

Read only two or three pieces a day, and after each write one sentence of your own understanding or disagreement.
Read passages dense with aphorisms aloud to feel their rhythm and rhetoric.
Read alongside background material on nineteenth-century British society to understand its exhortatory tone.
Copy favorite sentences onto cards, review them a week later, and add new reflections.

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 novel or a collection of prose poems?

It is not a novel but a collection of prose poems written in maxims, proverbs, and meditative passages; the English text is a public-domain work of English literature. There is no continuous plot, and it is read more like a book of maxims to dip into.

How difficult is the English, and is it suitable for beginners?

The original is nineteenth-century English with long sentences and period vocabulary, which poses a barrier for beginners. It is best attempted with intermediate reading ability or above, alongside annotations or a translation; there is no need to look up every word.

How should the e-book be read?

Public-domain e-books are easy to search and excerpt, making them suitable for short daily reading on a phone or e-reader. You can browse the table of contents to pick themes and jump around by interest rather than reading linearly from start to finish.

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About the author

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Project Gutenberg is not a single author but a nonprofit digital library founded by Michael Hart in 1971 and one of the world's earliest free ebook platforms. It relies on volunteers to digitize, proofread, and freely distribute public-domain works and is now operated by the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Its collection contains 2,692 works, mainly religious texts, epics, and story collections, including the King James Bible and the Douay-Rheims volumes, the epic Mahabharata, a literal translation of the Arabian Nights, and Danish editions of the Old and New Testaments. Public information is limited, and its nature is closer to a public-interest compiling and dissemination body; these texts are open to the public, easy to consult and circulate, and have had a profound influence on the spread of ebooks and the preservation of public-domain resources.