The Dead Boxer

William CarletonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 158K words
Chapters: 16

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 Dead Boxer by William CarletonAuthor: Carleton, William, 1794-1869,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jun 7, 2005

Editor's review

"The Dead Boxer" is a short narrative work by the nineteenth-century Irish writer William Carleton, available in the free eBook library of Project Gutenberg. Carleton was known for depicting Irish rural life and the common people, and this piece revolves around the death of a boxer, with a folkloric narrative flavor and a moral-allegorical bent. The text is not long, and the original English carries the marks of its era and traces of dialect; it serves as an accessible introduction to nineteenth-century Irish regional literature and can also be used as supplementary reading in English literature courses on regional writing and the short story. Readers should attend to the narrator's tone and the social context of the time to appreciate the irony and compassion beneath the plot. As a public-domain eBook, it is easy to obtain and suits either a casual read in spare moments or a close reading with annotations.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in nineteenth-century Irish literature and regional narrative
English majors using it as supplementary reading for the short story
General readers who enjoy folkloric style and moral-allegorical tales
Beginners studying Carleton's work or Irish regional writing

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking long, plot-complex novels
Beginners impatient with English dialect and period vocabulary
Readers expecting modern narrative pacing and suspenseful twists

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the outline of the story, then revisit key passages to appreciate the narrator's ironic tone.
Mark dialect or unfamiliar words as you go and look them up afterward, so as not to break the reading rhythm.
Combine with background material on nineteenth-century Irish society to understand the issues of identity and morality in the story.
It is short enough to read in one sitting; afterward, jot a few notes to sort out the characters and themes.

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 long or short?

The materials indicate it is a narrative work of no great length, suitable for reading in one or two sittings. For the exact length, refer to the electronic text provided by Project Gutenberg; word-count information is available on the download page.

Can I read it if my English is not good?

The text is in the original English and bears the marks of nineteenth-century language and dialect, so it demands some foundation in English. Intermediate or higher reading ability is recommended, or reading with annotations and a dictionary; beginners might first read a translation or introductory material before attempting the original.

Why recommend this rather than Carleton's novels?

This piece is short and tightly structured, making it a good starting point for encountering Carleton's narrative style. If it sparks your interest, move on to his novels, where his unfolding of social reality will be easier to follow.

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About the author

William Carleton Author · Irish · 1794–1869

William Carleton (1794–1869) was an Irish novelist born to a farming family in Prillisk, County Tyrone. He made his name with Traits and Stories of the Irish Peasantry, and Irish rural life remained the core of his writing. Novels such as Fardorougha the Miser and The Black Prophet depict poverty, land issues and famine in the Irish countryside with realistic detail and a critical eye. Drawing on the conflicts among peasants, landlords and local agents, his works combine folk observation with moral instruction and are often classed as inspirational and coming-of-age literature. He is a representative figure of nineteenth-century Irish regional fiction, and 20 of his works are held in this collection.