Sketches cover

Sketches

Rating 3.2
Word count
271K words
Chapters
28

Tags

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.Sketches by Earl of Beaconsfield Benjamin DisraeliAuthor: Disraeli, Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield, 1804-1881,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Nov 13, 2006

Editor's review

Sketches is a collection of essays and sketches by the British statesman and novelist Benjamin Disraeli (Earl of Beaconsfield), written in English and belonging to English literature. Disraeli is known for his novels and political career, and his writing often shows keen observation of social manners and character; this collection reflects that: short pieces and a flexible style, suited to savoring nineteenth-century English social vignettes and literary wit in spare moments. As a free Project Gutenberg ebook, it is easy to obtain and serves as an introduction to Victorian English prose and the sketch form, and as reference for readers studying Disraeli's early writing style. There is no need to seek continuous plot; treat it as a series of verbal sketches, and flipping through one or two pieces at random is enough to feel the rhythm and irony of the language.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Readers interested in nineteenth-century English literature and Victorian social life
  • Readers who want easy contact with English prose through short sketches
  • Enthusiasts studying Disraeli's writing style and the prose of political figures
  • English learners who like dipping into short pieces in spare moments

Not a good fit for

  • Readers expecting a full-length plot or strong dramatic conflict
  • Beginners with weak English reading skills who need notes or a translation
  • Those seeking a systematic account of Disraeli's political thought rather than his literary writing

Reading tips

  1. Read one or two sketches at a time; no need to go straight through—focus on tone and angle of observation.
  2. Read with background material on nineteenth-century English society to better understand the figures and scenes.
  3. Skip unfamiliar expressions first and revisit after finishing a piece to keep the reading rhythm.

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.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28

FAQ

Is this book a novel?
No. It is a collection of English sketches and essays made up of many short pieces, with no continuous long plot; it is better read piece by piece at random.
Can I read this book if my English is not good?
The original is in English with no Chinese parallel text, so readers with weak English may find it difficult. Some English reading ability is recommended, or try it first with a dictionary and background material.
Where can I get this book?
It is released by Project Gutenberg as a free ebook and can be found and downloaded on its platform; available formats depend on what the platform provides.

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About the author

Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield (1804–188), was an English novelist and statesman. Public information is limited, and the details of his life cannot be fully set out in this entry. The collection holds nineteen of his works, including Sybil, Or, The Two Nations; Henrietta Temple: A Love Story; Vivian Grey; Coningsby Or, The New Generation; Endymion; Venetia; The Voyage of Captain Popanilla; and Lothair. These works draw largely on British political and social life, often set against the aristocracy, party conflict, and class divisions, and combine love plots with satire, marked by witty language and lively dialogue. The idea of "the two nations" put forward in Sybil has become widely known as a phrase for the social gulf between rich and poor. His novels are both readable and offer a literary perspective on nineteenth-century British political culture.

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