The Copperhead

Frederic, Harold, 1856-1898Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.6

Word count: 206K words
Chapters: 21

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.The Copperhead by Harold FredericAuthor: Frederic, Harold, 1856-1898,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jun 28, 2014

Editor's review

The Copperhead is a novel by Harold Frederic set against the backdrop of the American Civil War. The title refers to the Copperheads, a faction of Northern Democrats who opposed the war and sympathized with the South—a historical context that itself offers rich material for discussion. Frederic excels at portraying characters caught in complex political and moral predicaments, and the novel uses individual fates to reflect a nation divided, combining literary merit with historical insight. As a free eBook from Project Gutenberg, it is readily accessible and well suited as supplementary reading for courses in American literature or for those interested in Civil War history. Readers should note that the work was written in a particular historical period, and its presentation of characters' positions carries the author's own era-bound perspective; consulting relevant historical background will deepen appreciation of the novel's craftsmanship in characterization and its moral tension.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in novels about the social and political life of the American Civil War era
Students taking American literature courses who need supplementary reading texts
Readers who enjoy understanding ordinary people in an era of historical division through fiction
Those accustomed to reading English public-domain eBooks and seeking free texts

Not a good fit for

Readers looking for fast-paced plots or light entertainment
Those entirely unfamiliar with the American Civil War background and unwilling to fill in the historical context
Readers who prefer contemporary vernacular or require a Chinese translation

Reading tips

First learn what "Copperhead" meant in the context of the American Civil War, then begin the text.
While reading, pay attention to the tensions between characters' political positions and personal loyalties.
Read alongside a concise history of the American Civil War to better understand the era.
As an English-language original eBook, it is best read with software that allows word lookup.

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 does "Copperhead" in the title refer to?

During the American Civil War, "Copperhead" was a derogatory term for Northern Democrats who opposed the war and advocated compromise with the South, derived from the venomous copperhead snake. The novel takes this as its title to point to this particular political group and its predicament; understanding this background before reading helps grasp the work's themes.

Is this book suitable as an introductory text for American literature?

It can serve as supplementary reading, but is not ideal as a first introduction. The work involves the political positions and historical context of the Civil War era, and beginners without background knowledge may find it remote. It is advisable to first acquire a basic framework of American history, or read with annotations and historical sources, for smoother comprehension.

What should readers note about using the Project Gutenberg edition?

This edition is a free English eBook in the public domain, primarily plain text without modern annotations or introductions. Readers need to supply their own dictionary tools or background materials; the reading experience depends on their device, making it suitable for those used to reading original-language eBooks.

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About the author

Frederic, Harold, 1856-1898 Author

Harold Frederic (1856–1898) was an American novelist and journalist. Publicly available information is limited, so his biographical details are not elaborated here. The library holds fifteen of his works, including novels and short story collections, with representative titles such as The Damnation of Theron Ware, The Deserter, and Other Stories, The Copperhead, Marsena, and Other Stories of the Wartime, In the Valley, The Return of the O'Mahony, Seth's Brother's Wife, and The Market-Place. His fiction often draws on American social life and wartime experience around the Civil War, and also engages with urban life in New York. His writing is realistic, attentive to character psychology and moral dilemmas, tightly structured, and frequently uses irony and detached observation to reveal human complexity and the impact of social change. His work holds a place in late nineteenth-century American realism and offers readers insight into the society and wartime memory of his era.