The Long Hillside

Page, Thomas Nelson, 1853-1922Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 23K words
Chapters: 3

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 Long Hillside by Thomas Nelson PageAuthor: Page, Thomas Nelson, 1853-1922,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Nov 16, 2007

Editor's review

The Long Hillside is another short work by Thomas Nelson Page, released as a free eBook by Project Gutenberg. Page was known for writing about the rural American South and its local characters, and the title alone suggests a focus on natural scenery and rural space. Rather than a plot-driven novel, it is closer to a short narrative carried by atmosphere, character, and everyday experience—best savored in a quiet reading session. As a public-domain text, its main barrier is the original English and older forms of expression, not its length. For readers curious about late-nineteenth-century Southern short fiction or in need of light English-language original material, it is a convenient entry point. While reading, notice how landscape description helps shape character emotion and how leisurely the narrative pace is. Those who prefer strong conflict and fast pacing may find it flat.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English-language short-story readers who enjoy rural atmosphere and landscape description
Literature enthusiasts interested in Page's Southern narrative style
General readers seeking light public-domain English texts
Readers interested in late-nineteenth-century Southern American life

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking strong plot conflict and fast-paced narrative
Those impatient with old-fashioned English expression and long sentences
Beginners hoping for detailed annotations and introductions

Reading tips

Read it in one sitting at a quiet time, focusing on landscape description and narrative pace.
While reading, mark passages related to the "hillside" image and observe how it recurs.
If it feels flat, learn about Page's era and Southern rural background first, then reread.
After reading, compare it with Old Jabe's Marital Experiments to contrast the tones of the two pieces.

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 work suitable for classroom use?

As a public-domain short story, it is short and easy to obtain, so it can serve as supplementary material for English extensive reading or an introduction to Southern literature. However, the materials provide no teaching annotations; teachers using it in class should best add their own background notes and vocabulary support.

What does the hillside in the title mean?

The materials provide only the title and author information, without plot details. Given Page's tendency toward rural writing, the title most likely points to a specific rural space and scenery. Readers should work out the specific meaning from the descriptions in the text rather than assume it in advance.

How is it different from the same author's short story about a marital experiment?

Both are Page short stories, but the materials provide no detailed plots for either, so content differences cannot be asserted. What is certain is that the titles point in different directions: one focuses on a marital "experiment," the other on hillside space. Reading the two together and comparing themes and tone is recommended.

What is the digital reading experience like?

The Gutenberg version is a free electronic text, convenient to read and search on a computer, e-reader, or phone. As a public-domain compilation, it usually lacks modern layout design and annotations; readers can adjust font size and background for a more comfortable experience.

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About the author

Page, Thomas Nelson, 1853-1922 Author

Thomas Nelson Page (1853–1922) was an American writer. Public information about the details of his life is limited, but the twenty-four works by him held in this collection give a clear sense of his writing. His work is rooted in the American South: the novel Red Rock: A Chronicle of Reconstruction confronts the social changes that followed the Civil War, and Gordon Keith likewise unfolds Southern manners and the upheavals of the era. Short works such as The Burial of the Guns and The Spectre in the Cart often deal with memories of war, rural legends, and stories with a touch of mystery. Page's writing is often nostalgic, attentive to local scenery and human temperament, and his works are an important sample for understanding the literary tastes of the late nineteenth-century American South.