The Curious Case of Lady Purbeck： A Scandal of the XVIIth Century

Longueville, Thomas, 1844-1922Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.9
Word count
206K words
Chapters
21

Tags

English Originals World History Historical ReappraisalJudicial TrialPalace IntriguePortrait GalleryPower GameAdultery ScandalCriminal PsychologyMoral DilemmaSocial Observation

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 Curious Case of Lady Purbeck: A Scandal of the XVIIth Century by LonguevilleAuthor: Longueville, Thomas, 1844-1922,Language: English, Class: KD: Law in general, Comparative and uniform law, Jurisprudence: United Kingdom and Ireland, Release Date: Mar 4, 2005

Editor's review

This book examines a notorious 17th-century English scandal involving Lady Purbeck. Drawing on historical sources, Thomas Longueville reconstructs the case, its figures, and the legal, marital, and courtly-ethical entanglements of the time. For general readers its value lies not in sensationalism but in using a single case to observe marriage institutions, judicial operations, and public opinion in 17th-century English upper society; for enthusiasts of legal and English history, it serves as case material for understanding marital litigation and reputational disputes of the period. The original is an English public-domain book, written in the narrative style of late 19th- to early 20th-century historical writing, with detailed exposition, suited to readers willing to read slowly. It can be read as an introductory work that "sees history through a case," focusing on how the author selects materials and evaluates the parties rather than treating the narrative as the only conclusion.

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Reading tips

  1. Read the table of contents and chapter summaries first to clarify the timeline and main figures before the main text.
  2. Note characters' identities and kinship as you read to avoid confusion over titles.
  3. Separate the author's judgments from the original materials cited, and watch for narrative stance.
  4. Read alongside background material on 17th-century English marriage and judicial systems.

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
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  11. 11
  12. 12
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FAQ

Is this book a novel or a historical work? It is a historical narrative work centered on the case involving Lady Purbeck in the 17th century, reconstructing events and figures from historical sources; it is not fiction. Longueville writes in a narrative style with some storytelling quality, but it remains historical writing, and readers should attend to its sources and evidentiary basis.
Can I read this book if my English is weak? The original is in English, with detailed narration and many long sentences, so weak English will pose difficulties. Intermediate or higher English reading ability is recommended, or first learn the case background from Chinese materials and then read the original; if you only want a summary of facts, consider relevant Chinese general histories or studies.
What background knowledge is needed to read this book? It helps to know something about 17th-century English monarchy, court, and upper society, and the basic framework of marriage, reputational disputes, and religious ethics at the time. With this background, it is easier to understand why the case drew attention; without it, read concise chapters of English history first before the book's details.
Is this book suitable as an introduction to legal history? It can serve as supplementary case material but not as a systematic introduction. It focuses on a single case and shows certain aspects of marital litigation and reputational disputes of the time but does not cover the overall legal framework. Read a general legal history first, then use this book to observe institutional operation and public reaction in a specific case.

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About the author

Longueville, Thomas, 1844-1922 Author · British · 1844–1922

Thomas Longueville (1844–1922) was a British biographer and essayist. Public information about the details of his life is limited, and he is chiefly known today for two works on historical subjects. He wrote The Life of a Conspirator and The Curious Case of Lady Purbeck: A Scandal of the XVIIth Century. The former focuses on a figure involved in political intrigue, while the latter examines a sensational seventeenth-century scandal, combining portraits of historical figures with the manners of the age. Longueville approached his subjects through specific people and events, writing in an accessible, fluent style that made serious historical material lively and readable. His work leans toward political history and seventeenth-century social history, and is marked by clear narrative and strong readability for general readers.