The Rectory Children

Mary Louisa MolesworthProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 234K words
Chapters: 24

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 Rectory Children by Mrs. MolesworthAuthor: Molesworth, Mrs., 1839-1921,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Apr 28, 2006

Editor's review

Mrs. Molesworth's The Rectory Children is a typical Victorian family story: set in a rectory, it follows children's daily lives, misdeeds and growth, with a gentle tone and clear moral concern. Its readability comes from domestic detail and a child's perspective—quarrels, misunderstandings, small adventures and reconciliations—forming a slow, steady narrative rhythm. For today's readers it is both an old specimen of children's literature and a window onto nineteenth-century British family education and ideas of childhood. Don't expect a strong plot; it suits bedtime reading aloud or research: notice how the adult narrator guides judgment and how children are shaped as moral subjects. As a public-domain ebook it is easy to obtain and good for close reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars of children's literature and Victorian literature
Readers who enjoy old-fashioned family stories and slow-paced narrative
Parents or teachers seeking classic texts to read aloud to children
Readers interested in the history of childhood and moral education

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer strong plots, fast pacing or suspenseful twists
Readers sensitive to old-fashioned didactic tone and period prejudices
Those seeking contemporary child psychology and diverse perspectives

Reading tips

Read the first two or three chapters to get familiar with the characters and narrative tone, then decide whether to read closely or skim.
If reading aloud, have the child retell the plot after each chapter and discuss the characters' choices and consequences.
Mark the adult narrator's comments separately and observe how they guide readers' judgment of the children.
Read alongside family stories of the same period and compare images of childhood, moral themes and narrative pace.

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 age of child is this book suitable for?

The original was aimed at old-fashioned family readers, and its language and moral framework bear the marks of its era. For today's children, an adult should read along and explain the background; independent reading suits children with some English foundation who can accept a slow pace.

Does the story have strong plot conflicts?

No. It is closer to episodic narration of daily family life; conflicts mostly arise from misunderstandings and small misdeeds among children, with the focus on slow changes in character and relationships rather than adventure or twists.

Why does the book have an obviously didactic tone?

This is a common feature of Victorian family children's literature: the narrator directly evaluates characters' behavior. When reading, treat it as a period textual feature rather than a conclusion you must accept.

As a public-domain ebook, what should readers note?

Public-domain ebooks are easy to obtain, but typesetting and annotation quality vary. Choose a well-proofread edition, and use context to understand unfamiliar or period words rather than getting stuck on individual old terms.

Comments

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About the author

Mary Louisa Molesworth Author · British · 1839–1921

Mrs. Molesworth (1839–1921), born Mary Louisa Molesworth, was an English writer of children's literature in the Victorian era. She was born in Rotterdam in 1839 and died in London in 1921, and was a prolific author; this site holds 57 of her works. Her representative books include The Cuckoo Clock, The Tapestry Room: A Child's Romance, Four Ghost Stories, The Carved Lions, Grandmother Dear: A Book for Boys and Girls, Christmas-Tree Land, and The Palace in the Garden. Her works are often classed as inspirational coming-of-age stories, usually centering on children and unfolding in settings where domestic life and fantasy intertwine. Her warm, delicate style combines imagination with a sense of everyday reality, and she has been called "the Jane Austen of the nursery." Public information is limited, but the sheer number of her works shows her lasting influence on child readers of her time.