The Exclusives

Bury, Charlotte Campbell, Lady, 1775-1861Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 314K words
Chapters: 32

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 Exclusives (vol. 1 of 3) by Lady Charlotte Campbell BuryAuthor: Bury, Charlotte Campbell, Lady, 1775-1861,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Oct 13, 2017

Editor's review

The Exclusives is the first volume of a three-volume novel by Lady Charlotte Campbell Bury, released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain English ebook. The novel belongs to nineteenth-century British social-fiction storytelling, centering on the "exclusive" social circles and offering observation and satire of the interpersonal rules of the aristocracy and high society. As the first of three volumes, it lays the groundwork of character relationships and social settings, and readers will find the dialogue-driven scenes and set-piece descriptions common to British novels of the period. Its value lies in providing a fictional sample for observing nineteenth-century British social culture, suited to readers interested in novels of manners from the Regency to the early Victorian period. Note that this is the first volume of a multi-volume work and the story is incomplete; the English public-domain text is also an early version, so readers should expect older spelling and syntax.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in nineteenth-century British novels of social manners
Students studying or taking courses in English literature who want to encounter lesser-known public-domain novels
Readers who enjoy dialogue-dense writing, social set pieces, and observations of class
Readers willing to read volume by volume and accept a story told across volumes

Not a good fit for

Readers who want a complete, self-contained story and do not want to follow multiple volumes
Readers who prefer modern, fast-paced narrative and strong plot momentum
Readers with little interest in nineteenth-century British social etiquette and class topics

Reading tips

First decide whether you are willing to continue to volumes two and three before committing time to volume one.
While reading, map out the kinship, social, and interest relationships among characters; a simple character chart can help.
Treat the social scenes as windows onto class rules, and watch for hints and satire in the dialogue.
If older English expression is an obstacle, read chapter summaries first, then return to the original for close reading.

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 complete novel or part of a multi-volume work?

According to the materials, this is the first volume of a three-volume novel (vol. 1 of 3), and the story does not conclude within the first volume. Readers who want the full plot will need to continue with the remaining two volumes.

What does the title "The Exclusives" refer to?

From the materials, the novel centers on the "exclusive" phenomenon of social circles, and the title points to the social rules by which small circles in high society shut out outsiders. Specific characters and plot unfold gradually as one reads the first volume; the materials do not provide more detailed plot description.

How difficult is the English?

This is an early English public-domain text released by Project Gutenberg, with the syntax and vocabulary habits of nineteenth-century fiction and considerable dialogue and social description. It will pose some challenge for readers used to modern English; reading with notes or starting with chapter summaries is recommended.

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About the author

Bury, Charlotte Campbell, Lady, 1775-1861 Author

Lady Charlotte Campbell Bury (1775–1861) was a nineteenth-century British writer whose works fall into two categories: fiction and domestic guides. The library holds seven of her works, including repeated entries for The Manoeuvring Mother and The Exclusives, as well as The Lady's Own Cookery Book, and New Dinner-Table Directory. Judging from the surviving titles, her novels focus on matchmaking schemes and the exclusive manners of upper-class circles, with a tone of social observation and satire, while her domestic works address family life, offering practical guidance on cookery and dinner-table arrangements. Public information about her life, nationality, and specific experiences is limited, so no speculation is made here. Her works offer useful texts for understanding nineteenth-century British social customs and women's writing.