The Locusts' Years

Fee, Mary H.Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 417K words
Chapters: 42

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 Locusts' Years by Mary H. FeeAuthor: Fee, Mary H. (Mary Helen),Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Aug 14, 2011

Editor's review

The Locusts' Years is an English literary work by Mary H. Fee, classified under American and Canadian literature and released by Project Gutenberg as a free e-book. Judging by its title and genre classification, it is a narrative work of fiction, best approached as literature rather than as a historical or sociological monograph. As a public-domain e-text, its main advantages are easy access and a length suited to continuous reading; it can be used to sample the narrative interests and language style of English popular fiction from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century. When reading, pay attention to how character relationships develop and how period atmosphere is built, and note shifts in narrative pace; for a course or book club, the metaphor of the "locusts' years" in the title can be a discussion point, though its specific meaning should be grounded in the text itself rather than over-interpreted. Overall, this is a work suited to casual reading and as a first taste of literature, valuable as a window onto English fiction of its time.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers who enjoy English fiction of the late nineteenth to early twentieth century
Learners who want to expand their English reading with free public-domain e-books
Book-club members needing a literary text of moderate length that is easy to discuss
Students and enthusiasts interested in the popular narrative tradition of American and Canadian literature

Not a good fit for

Readers who only read contemporary bestsellers and lack patience for older narrative pacing
Researchers needing an authoritative annotated or scholarly edition
Readers expecting non-fiction history, reportage, or social inquiry

Reading tips

Read the first few chapters to get a sense of the characters and narrative pace, then decide whether to read through or selectively.
Keep a simple character chart and update it as you read to avoid confusion when there are many characters.
Note how the title's imagery appears in the text, and revisit the relevant passages after finishing before drawing conclusions.
If English reading is difficult, read chapter summaries first and then go to the original text to reduce frustration.

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 kind of work is this book?

From the available information, it is classified under American and Canadian literature and is a narrative work of fiction, not a historical or sociological work. Treat it as a literary text and focus on characters, plot, and language style rather than quoting it as historical source material.

How difficult is the English? Is it suitable for learning English?

As an English novel from around the early twentieth century, its language is generally formal with longer sentences, but the plot usually moves clearly. Intermediate and above learners can try reading it through; beginners should use a dictionary and chapter summaries, or start with passages that contain more dialogue.

What does the "locusts' years" in the title mean?

The available information provides no plot details, so its meaning cannot be specified. While reading, note the contexts in which the image appears and the situations of the characters, and draw your own conclusions from the text; avoid over-reading beyond the original, and use it as a starting point for book-club discussion.

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About the author

Fee, Mary H. Author · American

Mary H. Fee was an American writer about whom little public information is available; neither her dates nor her full English name are clearly recorded. Judging from the two works held in the collection, her writing centers on personal experience and observation. A Woman's Impression of the Philippines draws on her life and travels in the Philippines, recording local customs and everyday impressions from a woman's perspective in the form of travel writing, while The Locusts' Years shows that her range was not limited to accounts of foreign places. Overall, her output is small and leans toward firsthand experience and local observation, written in a plain and natural style with a strong personal stamp, offering some reference value for understanding Philippine society at the time and American writers' overseas accounts.