Self-Control: A Novel

Brunton, Mary, 1778-1818Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 1.1M words
Chapters: 108

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.Self-control: A Novel by Mary BruntonAuthor: Brunton, Mary, 1778-1818,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Oct 27, 2012

Editor's review

Mary Brunton's Self-Control is an underrated work of early nineteenth-century English sentimental fiction, telling the story of a heroine's growth as she restrains herself through reason and faith in the face of emotion and temptation. Unlike novels of the same period that emphasize emotional outpouring, Brunton examines self-control as a core virtue: the characters' trials lie not only in external difficulties but in the tug-of-war between inner desire and principle, giving the narrative a clear moral-educational intent. The Project Gutenberg edition preserves the English character of the original, allowing readers direct contact with the language and rhythm of early nineteenth-century fiction. Its pleasure lies in observing how the author uses plot design to argue for a view of character, and how the heroine makes choices between social pressure and private feeling. For readers studying women's writing, the tradition of the moral novel, or the background of Jane Austen's era, this novel offers a valuable point of reference; general readers may also treat it as a slow-paced classical work that values introspection.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students and enthusiasts studying nineteenth-century British women's fiction
Readers of classical novels who enjoy works set in Jane Austen's era
Readers interested in the moral novel and the writing of female character
Readers who want to read English originals that are slow-paced and introspective

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer fast-paced plots and strong dramatic conflict
Modern readers unwilling to encounter religious and moral didacticism
Beginners in English who need modern annotation and introductions

Reading tips

First learn about the tradition of early nineteenth-century British moral fiction, then begin the text
Note briefly the situation and cost of each of the heroine's self-control choices
Read alongside other women's novels and compare how emotion and reason are handled
Read two or three chapters at a time, leaving time to reflect on characters' motives and narrative intent

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 is this novel mainly about?

It tells the growth story of a heroine who, amid emotional temptation and life's difficulties, persists in self-restraint and lets principle guide her choices. The plot revolves around her relationships, trials, and inner struggles; the focus is not on density of events but on how the character responds to circumstances with self-control.

Is it similar to Jane Austen's novels?

It belongs to the same early nineteenth-century tradition of British women's fiction and shares an interest in women's circumstances and marriage and social life, but Brunton leans more toward moral instruction and religious faith, with a stronger didactic tone and less humor and irony than Austen, making for a more serious reading experience.

Is the English original hard to read?

The language is early nineteenth-century English, with longer sentences and period vocabulary, but the plot moves gently and unfamiliar words are not dense. Readers with college-level English can read it through with a dictionary; beginners are advised to choose an annotated edition.

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About the author

Brunton, Mary, 1778-1818 Author · Scottish · 1778–1818

Mary Brunton (1778–1818) was a Scottish novelist who died before reaching the age of fifty. Two novels by her survive: Self-control and Discipline, both centred on moral cultivation and self-restraint and belonging to the tradition of the British moral novel of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Because public information is limited, details of her life, education and the circumstances of her writing are difficult to establish, but her works are clearly concerned with characters' choices between emotion and duty, using narrative to explore the value of conduct and self-discipline. These two novels found readers in their day and secured her a place in the history of the Scottish novel. On the whole, Brunton's writing is grounded in argument and instruction, with a style weighted toward moral exhortation, and she is a figure worth noting in the study of women's fiction and the moral novel of the period.