Robbery under Arms

Boldrewood, Rolf, 1826-1915Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.0

Word count: 1.1M words
Chapters: 109

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.Robbery under Arms by Rolf BoldrewoodAuthor: Boldrewood, Rolf, 1826-1915,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Feb 1, 1998

Editor's review

Robbery under Arms is a novel by the Australian writer Rolf Boldrewood about a gang of bushrangers, narrated in the first person as the protagonist's recollection of being drawn into a life of robbery. It is often regarded in Australian literature as an important work of colonial bushranging narrative; its value lies not in glamorizing crime but in weaving wilderness, horses, tracking, and legal pursuit into an adventure narrative with a strong sense of place, while letting the narrator look back with remorse and resignation. For readers, the book's readability comes mainly from the narrator's voice and pacing: there is both the tension of action scenes and a plain depiction of rural life and human fates. Because it was written in the nineteenth century, some language and narrative habits differ from contemporary fiction, and the English original poses a certain challenge for non-native readers. It suits readers interested in Australian history and colonial literature, and also serves as a text for studying the adventure-novel genre; those seeking mere light entertainment should be patient with the old-fashioned narration.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Australian colonial history and bushranging narrative
Readers who enjoy first-person adventure stories and can accept an old-fashioned narrative pace
Teachers, students, and enthusiasts studying crime and frontier themes in English literature
Readers with experience of long English fiction who are willing to adapt gradually to nineteenth-century prose

Not a good fit for

Readers hoping for a contemporary fast-paced crime thriller
Beginners impatient with old-fashioned English long sentences and retrospective narration
Readers expecting a clear moral stance or a crime-punished, virtue-rewarded ending

Reading tips

Read the opening chapters first to get used to the narrator's voice and period language before entering the main plot.
While reading, consult a map or basic Australian geography to help understand the spatial relations of travel and pursuit.
Note the judgments and remorse the narrator reveals in recollection; they convey the work's intent more than the events themselves.
If the English original is hard going, first use a Chinese translation to clarify relationships, then reread key chapters.

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 true story or fiction?

It is a fictional novel in the form of a first-person memoir, with the narrator recounting his involvement in bushranging. The author, Boldrewood, knew colonial Australian society and rural life well, and the work bears clear marks of its time, but the characters and plot are literary invention and should not be cited directly as historical sources.

Is the English original difficult to read?

Somewhat difficult. The work dates from the nineteenth century; the narrator's voice has colloquial and regional coloring, sentences are long, and some vocabulary differs from contemporary English. Readers with experience of long English fiction can adapt gradually; beginners are advised to read a Chinese translation first or read bilingually, so as not to give up because of language barriers.

Does the work glamorize crime?

It is not simply that. The novel unfolds as recollection; while recounting robberies, the narrator also reveals remorse and the burden of consequences. The work is closer to presenting a trajectory of fate in a frontier environment than to encouraging crime. Readers may note the contradictions and self-examination in the narrative tone.

Is it suitable as a teaching text in class?

It can serve as a supplementary text in Australian literature or colonial narrative. It is long, so close reading of selected key chapters is recommended, discussing the narrator's stance and the relation between crime and frontier society. Teachers should explain the historical background and language features in advance to help students enter the text.

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About the author

Boldrewood, Rolf, 1826-1915 Author

Rolf Boldrewood (1826-1915) was an Australian novelist known for adventure stories set in bush life and pioneer experience. His best-known work, Robbery under Arms, revolves around the legend of a bushranger, with tense plotting and vivid characters, and is an important novel of Australia's colonial period. He also wrote The Squatter's Dream: A Story of Australian Life, Old Melbourne Memories, A Modern Buccaneer, and Babes in the Bush, among others. His works draw on the society and natural environment of colonial Australia and combine adventure, crime, and coming-of-age elements, and are commonly classified under inspirational growth. The library holds fifteen of his works, including short-story collections and multi-volume novels. Public information is limited, and details of his life and education remain to be verified.