Stingaree

Hornung, E. W. (Ernest William), 1866-1921Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.7

Word count: 325K words
Chapters: 33

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.Stingaree by E. W. HornungAuthor: Hornung, E. W. (Ernest William), 1866-1921,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Sep 4, 2008

Editor's review

Stingaree is an adventure novel by the English writer E. W. Hornung, set in the Australian outback and centered on a legendary figure who is both a gentleman and a bandit. Hornung is known for creating the "gentleman thief" Raffles, and this book continues his interest in morally ambiguous characters who live on the edge of the law. The story moves at a brisk pace and carries a strong flavor of colonial-era exoticism; its depictions of the Australian bush, small towns, and convict culture are vividly cinematic. As a free public-domain ebook from Project Gutenberg, it is especially suited to readers interested in late-Victorian popular fiction, the adventure novel genre, or Australian settings, and it can serve as supplementary genre reading in English literature classes. Readers should not expect deep social critique; treat it as a light classic adventure story, well suited to reading in short segments.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English-language readers who enjoy late-Victorian adventure fiction
Readers interested in colonial-era Australian settings
Literature enthusiasts studying popular fiction and the "gentleman criminal" figure
Intermediate and advanced learners seeking public-domain ebooks for extensive English reading practice

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer serious social themes or deep psychological portrayal
Readers whose English reading ability is still at the beginner stage
Readers who want a tight, single-thread plot

Reading tips

Read the opening chapters first to grasp the protagonist's dual identity, then proceed chapter by chapter; each chapter can stand largely on its own.
Consult a map or background material on nineteenth-century Australian colonial society to better understand the characters' motivations.
When using it for extensive reading, don't look up every unfamiliar word; focus on the rhythm of dialogue and action scenes.
Read it alongside Hornung's Raffles stories to observe how the author handles similar antihero figures.

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

How is this book related to the author's Raffles series?

Both are by Hornung and both center on charismatic protagonists who live on the edge of the law, so they share a similar spirit. Stingaree, however, is set in the Australian outback and features a bandit-like legendary figure, so its setting and atmosphere differ from the London-based Raffles stories; the two can be read as companion works.

What English level is it roughly suitable for?

The original is late-nineteenth- to early-twentieth-century English, with fairly traditional sentence structures and vocabulary shaped by its era and region. It suits readers with CET-4 or above reading ability who can tolerate some unfamiliar words; beginners may need notes or a dictionary.

Is this the complete novel or an excerpt?

This is the full text of the public-domain ebook released by Project Gutenberg. As a free electronic edition, it has plain formatting and no modern publisher's introduction or notes, so readers may wish to consult background materials alongside it.

Is it suitable for classroom use?

It can serve as supplementary material for genre fiction or colonial literature, but teachers will need to supply historical background and author introduction. The era's attitudes differ from today's perspectives, and class discussion can guide students to examine the colonial narrative and character portrayal critically.

Comments

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About the author

Hornung, E. W. (Ernest William), 1866-1921 Author

E. W. Hornung (Ernest William Hornung, 1866–1921) was a British author best known for creating the gentleman thief A. J. Raffles. The collection here holds twenty-nine of his works, including the Raffles stories such as The Amateur Cracksman, Raffles: Further Adventures of the Amateur Cracksman and A Thief in the Night, as well as crime and adventure novels like Stingaree and Dead Men Tell No Tales, and Notes of a Camp-Follower on the Western Front, based on his experiences in the First World War. His writing is brisk and neatly plotted, with a polished tone suited to characters who live on the edge of the law, and it holds a place in the traditions of crime and adventure fiction. Public information about his life is limited, so this introduction concentrates on his subjects and style.