The Gamester

Moore, Edward, 1712-1757Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 140K words
Chapters: 15

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 Gamester (1753) by Edward MooreAuthor: Moore, Edward, 1712-1757,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 12, 2005

Editor's review

The Gamester is a sentimental comedy by Edward Moore, first performed in 1753 and a representative work of the eighteenth-century moral drama tradition. Centered on the social vice of gambling, the play uses the turns in its characters' fortunes to explore the conflict between reason, desire, and family duty, and was known on the contemporary stage for its tight plotting and emotional force. As a public-domain ebook, the Project Gutenberg edition preserves the original language and is suited to readers studying eighteenth-century British theater history, sentimental literature, or the discourse of moral reform. Readers may note how the characters balance witty dialogue against moral instruction, and how the gambling theme reflects the anxieties of the urban middle class about economic risk. Because it is an English-language original with period diction, readers with some grounding in English literature will get more from it when using notes or introductory materials, the better to appreciate its historical context and dramatic tension.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholarly readers studying eighteenth-century British drama and sentimental literature
Literature enthusiasts interested in the British moral drama tradition and the theme of gambling
Advanced English majors or graduate students using it as a primary text
Instructors of theater history seeking public-domain teaching texts

Not a good fit for

General readers seeking a modern Chinese translation or light entertainment
Beginners with weak English who are unfamiliar with eighteenth-century English usage
Theater practitioners expecting full staging notes or a detailed annotated edition

Reading tips

Begin with the basic features of eighteenth-century British sentimental comedy before entering the play itself
Mark shifts in characters' attitudes toward gambling as you read, tracing the narrative line of moral exhortation
Consult social histories of eighteenth-century Britain to understand what gambling meant in its time
Pause after Act III to review the main characters' motives and conflicts before continuing

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 a play or a novel?

The Gamester is a dramatic work by Edward Moore, written in 1753. It belongs to the genre of sentimental comedy and unfolds through dialogue and act-and-scene structure rather than novelistic narration. Read it as a dramatic text, following the characters' dialogue and the shifts between scenes.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

This edition is released free by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain ebook. It preserves the original English and generally includes no modern notes or introduction. It suits readers who can read eighteenth-century English directly or who will use it alongside other research materials.

Can I read it without a background in theater history?

Yes, though your depth of understanding will be affected. It helps to first acquire some basic knowledge of eighteenth-century British drama and sentimentalism, and to note the relationship between moral instruction and plot development; this makes it easier to grasp the work's historical value and limitations.

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About the author

Moore, Edward, 1712-1757 Author · British · 1712–1757

Edward Moore (1712–1757) was an English playwright, best known for his tragedy The Gamester and also the author of Moores Fables for the Female Sex. Public information about his life is limited, and existing records center mainly on his dramatic and fable writings. The Gamester deals with the domestic tragedy brought about by gambling; concentrated in plot and intense in feeling, it had a certain influence on the eighteenth-century English stage and is often regarded as his representative work. His fables, addressed to female readers, convey advice and moral meaning through story, in plain language with clear lessons. On the whole, Moore's writing combines stage performance with moral instruction, addressing themes close to the concerns of readers of his time and tending toward a style poised between sentiment and didacticism. His output was small—two works are held in this collection—yet The Gamester alone has earned him a place in the history of eighteenth-century English drama.