The Defendant

Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith), 1874-1936Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.2

Word count: 153K 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 Defendant by G. K. ChestertonAuthor: Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith), 1874-1936,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: May 1, 2004

Editor's review

Chesterton's The Defendant is a collection of essays defending things the world has too lightly dismissed. With his trademark paradox and humor, the author pleads the case for objects often mocked as vulgar, outdated, or absurd, and in arguments that look like play he exposes prejudices modern readers rarely notice. His prose bristles with wit without being unkind and leaps in logic yet has its own method; readers often laugh and then suddenly realize how thin the premises of their own judgments are. The book suits casual reading in spare moments, each essay complete in itself and needing no particular order; it also serves as a mirror for everyday public opinion, showing how to find respectable reasons for unpopular views. The English original is short and its diction is on the formal side, especially satisfying for readers already familiar with Chesterton's style.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English-language readers who enjoy essays and satirical style
Those interested in paradoxical argument and reflection on public opinion
Learners who want to train critical thinking through short readings

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a continuous plot or fictional narrative
Beginners whose English is not yet fluent and who need annotation

Reading tips

Read one or two essays at a time and, before going on, ask yourself whether you agree with the author's defense.
Jot down arguments that surprise you, then return after a few days to see whether they still hold up.
Skip unfamiliar allusions at first; grasp the overall line of argument before checking them.

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 a novel or a collection of essays?

It is a collection of essays, each standing on its own and defending something commonly looked down upon. There is no plot running through the book, so it suits reading in installments.

How difficult is the English, and what background do I need?

The diction is on the formal side and the sentences contain many turns and ironies; college-level English reading ability is about right. Beginners may use a dictionary and need not understand every allusion at once.

Why is it called The Defendant?

The title borrows the courtroom image: the author casts himself as counsel for the defense, giving a hearing to ideas or things already convicted in public opinion but rarely granted a serious defense.

Comments

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About the author

Chesterton, G. K. (Gilbert Keith), 1874-1936 Author

Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936) was an English writer known for his essays, fiction and poetry. The collection here holds 44 of his works across several genres: Orthodoxy defends Christian belief through witty argument, while The Man Who Was Thursday: A Nightmare uses absurd plots to explore order and freedom; The Napoleon of Notting Hill and the Father Brown detective stories display his narrative gifts. There are also essay collections such as What I Saw in America and Appreciations and Criticisms of the Works of Charles Dickens, as well as poems including The Ballad of the White Horse. His style favors paradox, humour and vivid imagery, often drawing reflections on modern society from everyday subjects, and he has influenced later detective fiction and Christian apologetics. Public sources are limited, so biographical details are not pursued here.