The Mountebank

Locke, William John, 1863-1930Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 533K words
Chapters: 54

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 Mountebank by William John LockeAuthor: Locke, William John, 1863-1930,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 1, 2005

Editor's review

The Mountebank is an English novel by the British novelist William John Locke, here released as a free electronic edition by Project Gutenberg, offering Chinese readers a convenient entry into early twentieth-century British popular fiction. Locke's work is known for its character portrayal and plot twists; this book centers on a "mountebank" figure and carries a tone of drama and moral observation, making it a useful sample for understanding the narrative style of English fiction of the period. The electronic edition is easy to search and carry, but note that it is the original English text, a modern electronic resetting of a public-domain book, with no Chinese notes or introduction. It is best read as a combination of language learning and literary-historical interest rather than as a plot-driven diversion. For readers who want to expand their reading of English originals and prefer moderate length and difficulty, this book is worth trying.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with some English foundation who want to try public-domain English fiction
Literature enthusiasts interested in early twentieth-century British popular fiction
Self-learners hoping to use free e-books to expand their English reading
Students who need English original texts as language-learning material

Not a good fit for

Readers with no English reading ability who want a Chinese translation
Beginners expecting extensive notes and introductions
Readers who prefer fast-paced contemporary plots and have limited patience for classical narrative

Reading tips

Read one chapter first to gauge the language difficulty, then decide between intensive and extensive reading
Mark unfamiliar words without looking them up, then deal with them after finishing a passage
Use biographical and period background materials to understand the character setup
Set aside a fixed twenty to thirty minutes a day to maintain a steady reading rhythm

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 in Chinese or English?

This is an English original novel released as an e-book by Project Gutenberg; the text is in English with no Chinese translation or notes. It suits readers with some English reading ability, and Chinese readers can use it as practice material for reading English originals.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg provides free public-domain e-books, mainly in portable text form that is easy to download and search, but usually without scholarly notes, introductions, or Chinese supplementary content. Readers who need background knowledge must consult relevant materials themselves.

Can I read it without any English foundation?

Not really recommended. This is an English original without notes, so readers with weak English will face considerable difficulty. To understand the content, first look for a Chinese translation or introductory material, then return to the English original for comparison.

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About the author

Locke, William John, 1863-1930 Author

William John Locke (1863–1930) was a British novelist, with 23 of his works held in this collection. His representative works include The Belovéd Vagabond, The Mountebank, The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol, Septimus, The Rough Road, The White Dove, The Morals of Marcus Ordeyne: a Novel, and Jaffery. Public information about his life is limited, so this entry offers only a brief account based on the works in the collection and the clues they provide. Judging from these titles and the character of the works, Locke's novels are largely character-centered, with brisk plots that often carry a romantic and humorous tone, blending vagabondage, adventure, and social observation, and creating many vividly drawn figures whose fortunes rise and fall. His works found a readership in the early twentieth century, and some were adapted for the stage and screen, leaving a mark on popular literature and general reading.