The Drunkard

Thorne, Guy, 1875-1923Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 681K words
Chapters: 69

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 Drunkard by Guy ThorneAuthor: Thorne, Guy, 1875-1923,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Oct 22, 2012

Editor's review

The Drunkard is a novel by the English writer Guy Thorne (1875–1923), a work of English literature now offered by Project Gutenberg as a free eBook. Thorne was active from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century, and his work often engages with social problems and moral dilemmas; the title itself points to drunkenness, a social issue of great concern at the time, and readers can glimpse how British fiction of the period handled themes of personal downfall and redemption. As a public-domain eBook, it is easy to obtain on any reading device and serves as supplementary reading for those interested in English literary or social history. Note that the Project Gutenberg edition is the original English text without Chinese translation or notes, so a reasonable command of English is required. It is best read as a social-problem novel bearing the mark of its era, with attention to narrative perspective and characterization rather than an expectation of strong suspense.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English-language readers interested in British fiction of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
Literature lovers concerned with social issues such as drunkenness, morality, and redemption
Intermediate to advanced English learners seeking free public-domain English texts for reading practice
Readers and researchers studying the narrative tradition of the social-problem novel

Not a good fit for

Beginners with limited English reading ability who need Chinese annotations
Readers expecting tight suspense or a modern narrative pace
Readers seeking detailed introductions to the author's life and the work's background

Reading tips

First learn about the late nineteenth-century British temperance movement and the background of the social-problem novel, then enter the text.
While reading, note the psychological portrayal of the protagonist's decline and the shifting attitudes of those around him.
Read the book alongside other social-problem novels of the same period to observe differences in how the subject is handled.
For the original English text, use a dictionary or bilingual tools and proceed chapter by chapter, keeping brief notes.

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 in Chinese or the original English?

The Drunkard from Project Gutenberg is the original English eBook, with no Chinese translation or notes. Chinese readers need a reasonable command of English and may use a dictionary or bilingual tools while reading.

What background should I know before reading this book?

It helps to first learn about British society's concern with drunkenness in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and the common approaches of social-problem novels of the time. This makes the work's historical context and narrative aims easier to understand without relying on introductory material the book does not provide.

Is this book suitable for learning English?

It can serve as extensive reading material for intermediate and advanced learners, since it is a free public-domain text of moderate length. However, the language bears the style of its period and some expressions differ from modern English, so beginners should use a dictionary and focus on grasping the general meaning.

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About the author

Thorne, Guy, 1875-1923 Author

Guy Thorne (1875–1923) was an English novelist active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Public information about his life is limited, and many biographical details remain unclear. Seventeen of his works are held in the collection, spanning suspense, mystery, thriller, and inspirational coming-of-age fiction. His representative novel When It Was Dark: The Story of a Great Conspiracy builds its mystery around religious and social crisis, while The City in the Clouds, House of Torment, The Soul Stealer, The Angel, A Butterfly on the Wheel, Chance in Chains: A Story of Monte Carlo, and The Air Pirate often involve mysterious events, criminal conspiracies, and adventure. His writing emphasizes suspense and atmosphere, with tightly plotted narratives in which characters face moral and fatal tests; some works also carry an inspirational, growth-oriented tone, offering a glimpse of the popular fiction tastes of his time.