The Eve of All-Hallows Or, Adelaide of Tyrconnel, v. 1 of 3

Matthew Weld HartstongeProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.4
Word count
333K words
Chapters
34

Tags

English Originals Foreign Literature Gothic RomanceFamily FeudLove EntanglementsAristocratic SecretsComplex HumanityRomanticismSerialized FictionIrish SettingCustoms PanoramaOld Manor

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 Eve of All-Hallows; Or, Adelaide of Tyrconnel, v. 1 of 3 by HartstongeAuthor: Hartstonge, Matthew Weld, 1773?-,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Nov 1, 2012

Editor's review

This is the first volume of Matthew Weld Hartstonge's three-volume novel The Eve of All-Hallows; Or, Adelaide of Tyrconnel, released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain English eBook. Judging by the title and format, it belongs to the Gothic or historical romance tradition of the late eighteenth to early nineteenth century, set against the Irish locale of Tyrconnel and featuring such typical elements as castles, festival nights, and family fate. As the first of three volumes, it mainly establishes characters, sets up suspense, and builds atmosphere; the plot advances relatively slowly, and readers should expect resolution only in the later volumes. The Gutenberg edition is freely accessible and searchable, but it is plain-text with no modern introduction or notes, and the many personal and place names may hinder readers unfamiliar with Irish history. It suits readers studying Gothic fiction or Irish-themed literature as a primary source, not general readers seeking a tightly plotted story.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Familiarize yourself with common Gothic elements and the Irish background of the place name Tyrconnel before starting the text.
  2. Read the first volume as an establishment of characters and atmosphere; do not rush, and keep track of character relationships.
  3. Read all three volumes consecutively to avoid giving up when the first volume leaves suspense unresolved.
  4. Take notes on unfamiliar place and personal names, and use electronic search to review earlier clues.

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
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34

FAQ

Is this a complete story? No. This is the first volume of a three-volume novel, mainly establishing character relationships and atmosphere; the story unfolds gradually in the latter two volumes. Reading only the first volume will leave many loose ends, so reading all three consecutively is recommended.
What genre does this novel belong to? Judging by the title, the three-volume format, and the period of composition, it belongs to the Gothic or historical romance tradition of the late eighteenth to early nineteenth century, with elements such as a festival night, family fate, and an Irish local setting. For specific plot details, refer to the original text.
What is the reading experience of the Gutenberg edition like? The edition is free, plain-text, and easy to search and excerpt, making it suitable for textual analysis; however, it lacks a modern introduction, annotations, and maps, and its layout is plain. With many personal and place names, readers may need to organize the clues themselves.
Is the English difficult? The original is early nineteenth-century English, whose sentence structures and vocabulary differ from modern English; together with the many personal and place names, it poses some difficulty for non-native readers. Intermediate or higher English reading ability is recommended, along with reference works or an annotated edition for comparison.

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About the author

Matthew Weld Hartstonge Author · Irish · 1773–1834

Matthew Weld Hartstonge (1773–1834) was an Irish poet and lawyer, a graduate of Trinity College Dublin, who corresponded with Scott and Edgeworth. Public information about him is limited, and few details of his life survive; his output was not large, and three of his works are held in this collection. He published a volume of poetry and is best known for the three-volume historical romance The Eve of All-Hallows, whose full title is The Eve of All-Hallows; or, Adelaide of Tyrconnel. Drawing on history, the work combines romance with a Gothic atmosphere, reflecting both his poet's sensibility and his narrative interests; his correspondence with Scott and Edgeworth also shows his ties to the literary circles of his day.