The History of the Remarkable Life of John Sheppard

Daniel DefoeProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.2

Word count: 74K words
Chapters: 8

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 History of the Remarkable Life of John Sheppard by Daniel DefoeAuthor: Defoe, Daniel, 1661?-1731,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Nov 16, 2004

Editor's review

This book is a factual narrative that Defoe based on the life of the real criminal John Sheppard, belonging to the early tradition of crime biography in English literature. Its value lies not in the plotting of fiction but in its portrayal of eighteenth-century London's justice system, prisons, and street society, and in the process by which a notorious escapee was narrated and circulated. The accounts of prison breaks, trials, and the words and deeds of its figures carry a distinctly period tone and moral judgment, allowing readers to observe the narrative methods and public tastes of popular writing of the time. The book is short, written in eighteenth-century English, and suitable as supplementary reading for the study of English literary history, crime narrative, or social history. It can be read alongside Defoe's fiction to appreciate the boundary between fact and imagination. As a public-domain ebook, its version information is brief; readers are advised to focus on the text itself rather than the publishing notes.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Learners of English literary history who want to understand Defoe's nonfiction writing beyond his novels
Readers interested in eighteenth-century London society, justice, and prison themes
Readers studying the history of crime narrative and popular literature
Readers with good English proficiency willing to read early modern English texts

Not a good fit for

Beginners expecting full modern annotations and an introduction
Readers who prefer tightly plotted contemporary crime fiction
Those with limited English reading experience unfamiliar with eighteenth-century English expression

Reading tips

Begin with a brief account of Defoe's life and eighteenth-century English social background before entering the text.
Read the prison-break and trial passages as social-historical sources, noting details of justice and prisons as you go.
Compare with Defoe's fiction such as Moll Flanders to contrast the narrative differences between fact and novel.
When encountering obstacles of early English spelling and syntax, first read for the general meaning of paragraphs rather than checking every word.

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 novel or a factual work?

It is a factual narrative based on the life of the real John Sheppard, not one of Defoe's novels. It includes records of prison breaks, trials, and public reaction, but the narration carries the author's period perspective and moral judgment; it should be read as a historical text rather than objective reporting in the modern sense.

Can I read it without background knowledge of eighteenth-century England?

You can, but understanding will be limited. It is advisable to first learn about London's justice system, prison conditions, and the popular publishing environment of the time before entering the text. This makes it easier to understand why the escapee's story drew attention and the approving or disapproving tone of the author's narration.

How difficult is the English version?

The text is in eighteenth-century English, with differences in spelling, syntax, and vocabulary from modern English; it is short but requires patience. Readers with good English reading ability can attempt it directly; if it proves difficult, read relevant background first and then proceed section by section without pondering every word.

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About the author

Daniel Defoe Author · British · 1660–1731

Daniel Defoe (1661?–1731) was an English novelist, political writer and journalist, and a founding figure of realist fiction in the English Enlightenment. His birth year is recorded variously; the library lists 1660, and he died in 1731. A prolific author, he is represented here by 59 works, the best known being Robinson Crusoe, alongside Moll Flanders and A Journal of the Plague Year. His novels often follow individual fortunes and adventures, written in a plain, concrete and realistic style that presents characters' circumstances and choices in unadorned narrative, and his influence on the development of English realist fiction is far-reaching. Commonly classified under inspirational growth, his works are still read today as important accounts of endurance and self-reliance.