Side Lights

James RuncimanProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 388K words
Chapters: 39

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.Side Lights by James RuncimanAuthor: Runciman, James, 1852-1891,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: May 3, 2005

Editor's review

Side Lights is a collection of essays by James Runciman, a public-domain work of English literature. The title suggests observing everyday people and affairs from an oblique angle; the pieces often begin with details of life, social phenomena, and sketches of people, carrying the conversational tone and moral observation characteristic of late nineteenth-century English essays. Runciman's prose attends to concrete scenes and character sketches and draws reflection from ordinary subjects, making the book a useful sample of late Victorian essay style. The pieces vary in length and theme, so there is no need to read straight through; take them up as you please, one on a commute or before sleep, and enjoy the light, faintly melancholy touch. Readers studying periodical essays and nonfiction writing of the period will find usable textual examples here.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy English essays and prose and prefer short pieces
Literature lovers studying late Victorian periodical writing
English learners who want short English passages for close reading practice
General readers curious about daily life in nineteenth-century England

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a full plot and strongly narrative long fiction
Researchers needing systematic social-history data or academic argument
Readers put off by old-fashioned English prose style who prefer modern plain language

Reading tips

Read one or two pieces at a time as you please; no need to go through the book in order.
As you read, note the angles from which the author observes everyday people and affairs, and notice how the essay form draws its material.
When a piece assumes unfamiliar period background, look up the relevant English social customs first, then return to it.

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 kind of book is Side Lights?

It is a collection of essays by the English writer James Runciman, in the public domain as English literature. The pieces mostly start from everyday people and social details and carry the conversational style of late nineteenth-century essays; it is not a novel with a continuous plot.

Is it suitable for reading straight through?

Not really. The themes are scattered and the pieces stand alone, so reading continuously can be tiring. It is better to dip in and read one or two at a time, savoring the observational angle and the prose in spare moments; the experience will be more relaxed.

What background knowledge is needed?

Basically none, though some familiarity with late nineteenth-century English social customs and the periodical essay tradition will make it easier to understand the types of people mentioned and the moral observations. General readers can start directly with individual pieces.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

James Runciman Author · British · 1852–1891

James Runciman (1852–1891) was a British teacher, journalist and writer, born in Creswell, Northumberland. He taught at several schools in London in his early years before turning to journalism and earning his living by his pen. His work ranged across maritime and social themes: he wrote about the lives and experiences of North Sea fishermen in The Romance of the Coast and A Dream of the North Sea, and addressed social questions such as drink in The Ethics of Drink and Other Social Questions. His other works include Side Lights and The Chequers. Runciman wrote clearly and observed closely, often combining narrative with commentary and showing concern for ordinary people in his popular writing. He died in 1891 from overwork at the age of thirty-nine. The library holds five of his works; public information is limited, and details of his life and the classification of his works remain to be verified.