Sonia: Between Two Worlds

Stephen McKennaProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 894K words
Chapters: 90

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.Sonia: Between Two Worlds by Stephen McKennaAuthor: McKenna, Stephen, 1888-1967,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jun 20, 2014

Editor's review

Sonia: Between Two Worlds by Stephen McKenna is a typical early twentieth-century British popular novel, and its title already signals the central tension: how a person manages to live between two worlds. McKenna was active around the First World War, and his works often take social class, marriage, and questions of identity as their subject; this novel continues those concerns. As a free electronic text from Project Gutenberg, its value lies first in accessibility—readers can encounter a public-domain English literary work at no cost, to learn about the narrative pace, characterization, and social topics of popular fiction of that era. While reading, note how the title's metaphor unfolds in the plot, and how the author handles a character's wavering between two environments and two sets of expectations. It suits readers as a lightweight supplement to English literary reading, or for observing the thematic inclinations of early twentieth-century British fiction. It should be noted that this is an old popular work aimed at a broad audience, not distinguished by experimental narrative or profound psychological analysis; readers are advised to approach it in the spirit of getting to know a period text.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English readers interested in early twentieth-century British popular fiction
Literature lovers who want to read public-domain English classics for free
Readers studying themes of identity and class in old fiction
Advanced learners who need lightweight English extensive reading material

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking strong plot or modern narrative pace
Those expecting deep literary analysis or endorsement as a classic
Beginners in English reading who need annotations for support

Reading tips

Read the opening chapters first to gauge the language difficulty and narrative pace, then decide whether to read it through or selectively.
While reading, note what the two worlds in the title specifically refer to in the plot, and form your own understanding.
Read alongside brief background material on early twentieth-century British society.
When using it as extensive reading material, there is no need to look up every word; focus first on character relationships and the main conflicts.

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 book a free public-domain eBook?

Yes. The book is published by Project Gutenberg and is a freely available public-domain electronic text in English, classified under PR: English literature. Readers can search for and download it directly by title on the Project Gutenberg website at no cost.

What English level is it roughly suited to?

As an early twentieth-century British novel, its sentence patterns and vocabulary carry period features, making it generally upper-intermediate in difficulty. Readers with a college-level English reading foundation who are used to long English texts will find it easier to get into; beginners may need a dictionary or annotations.

What do the two worlds in the title refer to?

The materials do not elaborate on the specific plot, but judging from the title and the author's consistent focus on social themes, it usually points to a character's situation between two social environments, classes, or sets of life expectations. The specific reference needs to be confirmed by reading the text itself; it is not advisable to apply a fixed interpretation in advance.

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About the author

Stephen McKenna Author · British · 1888–1967

Stephen McKenna (1888–1967) was a British novelist born into an Irish-descended family in England. He graduated from Christ Church, Oxford, and wrote forty-seven novels over the course of his life, most of which depict the manners and social world of the British upper classes. His best-known work is Sonia: Between Two Worlds, and his other novels include Sonia Married, The Education of Eric Lane and The Secret Victory. Beyond fiction, he also wrote the memoir While I Remember, as well as works with fantastical elements such as The Sixth Sense and The Oldest God. Publicly available information about his life and writing remains limited, and existing accounts focus chiefly on the themes and style of his works. McKenna died in 1967.