The Hunchback

Knowles, James Sheridan, 1784-1862Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 124K words
Chapters: 13

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 Hunchback by James Sheridan KnowlesAuthor: Knowles, James Sheridan, 1784-1862,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Oct 1, 2002

Editor's review

This work is a verse drama by the English playwright James Sheridan Knowles, set in the Spanish court and centering on the fateful entanglement between a hunchback jester and a noble young woman. Knowles follows the melodramatic tradition of the Romantic period; the dialogue is written in blank verse, with a distinct rhythm, intense emotions, and a clear conflict between good and evil. The plot is tightly structured with effective suspense, making it suitable as close-reading material for researchers of nineteenth-century English drama, melodramatic aesthetics, or verse drama language. General readers interested in stage works before the Victorian era can also use it to sense the aesthetic tastes of audiences of the time. This edition is a public-domain Project Gutenberg ebook; readers are advised to note stage directions and line divisions to appreciate its nature as a performance text.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literature students studying nineteenth-century English drama and the melodramatic tradition
Theater enthusiasts interested in verse drama language and stage dialogue
Translators or adapters who want to understand public-domain English dramatic texts

Not a good fit for

General readers who prefer modern fast-paced narrative and lack patience for verse dialogue
Scholarly readers expecting detailed historical research or author biography

Reading tips

Read a plot summary first, then read act by act, noting the suspense design at the end of each act.
Read key dialogue passages aloud to feel the rhythm of blank verse and the differences in characters' voices.
Compare with common motifs in English drama of the same period and note this play's inheritances and variations.
Use stage directions to imagine staging and consider the text's characteristics as a performance script.

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

What genre is this work?

It is a verse drama, with dialogue written in blank verse driving the plot, belonging to the nineteenth-century English melodramatic tradition. It should be read as a stage script rather than novelistic narrative.

Can I read it without knowing English drama history?

Yes, but some patience is needed. The plot lines are relatively clear and characters are sharply divided between good and evil; if unfamiliar with verse dialogue, read a summary first and proceed act by act, focusing on emotional conflict.

What are the characteristics of the Gutenberg edition?

This edition is a public-domain electronic text in English, organized from early editions. Readers need to check the format of stage directions themselves; it is suitable as a base text for research or comparative reading.

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About the author

Knowles, James Sheridan, 1784-1862 Author · Irish · 1784–1862

James Sheridan Knowles (1784–1862) was an Irish playwright and actor. He came from a family with deep ties to the theatre world and was related to the Sheridan family, which helped pave his way into a theatrical career. Knowles was best known for melodramas and comedies of character, with works that emphasized the portrayal of personality and the creation of stage effect; his language was vivid and his structures tight, giving him a certain influence on the nineteenth-century British stage. His representative works include The Hunchback and The Love-chase, and two of his works are currently held in this collection. Because public information is limited, a systematic assessment of his specific life experiences, creative periods, and artistic achievements awaits further verification; the present introduction is based mainly on his plays themselves and on common knowledge from literary history.