The Red City: A Novel of the Second Administration of President Washington

Mitchell, S. Weir (Silas Weir), 1829-1914Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.2

Word count: 560K words
Chapters: 56

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 Red City: A Novel of the Second Administration of President WashingtonAuthor: Mitchell, S. Weir (Silas Weir), 1829-1914,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jun 22, 2010

Editor's review

This novel is set during President Washington's second term and belongs to the fictional literature on early American history. The author, S. Weir Mitchell, was himself a physician and writer whose writing often shows careful observation of the atmosphere of the era. The book's value lies in presenting, through fiction, the political and social life of the late 18th-century United States; through its characters and plot, readers can sense the institutional debates, partisan divisions, and everyday customs of the time. As a public-domain ebook, it is easy to obtain and suitable as extended reading for readers interested in the early history of the American founding. It should be noted that this is a novel rather than rigorous historical scholarship; the plot and characters contain fictional elements and cannot be cited directly as historical sources. Readers might treat it as an entry point into the historical setting: first learn about the main events of Washington's second term, then compare them with the novel's depictions and appreciate the distance between literary imagination and historical fact. The language of the English original bears the marks of its era, and the reading pace may be slow, suiting readers willing to read carefully and patiently.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the early history and political atmosphere of the American founding
Literary readers who enjoy historical fiction and are willing to savor period details
Readers of history and literature who need to understand late 18th-century American social life
Readers with some English reading ability who want to try public-domain English originals

Not a good fit for

Academic researchers seeking rigorous historical verification and annotations
Readers of popular fiction who prefer fast pacing and strong dramatic conflict
Beginners with little English reading experience who find older styles difficult

Reading tips

First learn about the main political events of Washington's second term, then enter the novel's plot.
Distinguish fictional characters from historical figures while reading, and do not treat the plot as historical fact.
When encountering old-fashioned expressions, read the whole passage for the general meaning rather than checking every word.
After finishing, compare with related historical materials to sort out the similarities and differences between the novel and historical fact.

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

Can this novel be cited as historical material?

Not advisable. It is a fictional work set against a historical background; its characters and plot contain imaginative elements and cannot be cited directly as rigorous historical sources. It can serve as supplementary reading for understanding the atmosphere of the era, but for specific historical facts, professional historical works and primary documents should be consulted.

What historical background should one know before reading?

It is advisable to first gain a general understanding of the time span of Washington's second term, the main political debates and party divisions of the period, and the social conditions of the early American founding. With this background, the characters' positions and the plot conflicts in the novel will be easier to understand.

Is the English original difficult to read?

The book's language bears the style of its era, with sentence patterns and vocabulary at some distance from contemporary English, and the reading pace may be slow. Readers with intermediate or higher English reading ability can attempt it; when encountering difficult sentences, grasp the general meaning of the passage first rather than pondering every word.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Mitchell, S. Weir (Silas Weir), 1829-1914 Author

S. Weir Mitchell (Silas Weir Mitchell, 1829–1914) was an American author whose works span novels, medical essays and popular health writing; eleven of his titles are held in this collection. His fiction often draws on history and local life: Hugh Wynne, Free Quaker reflects American society around the War of Independence through a Quaker's experience, while The Red City centers on Philadelphia during President Washington's second term; Westways: A Village Chronicle and When All the Woods Are Green lean toward rural narrative. His medical background shapes essays such as Fat and Blood, Doctor and Patient and Wear and Tear, which address fatigue, rest and the doctor-patient relationship in a practical style. His writing combines historical storytelling with medical-humanist observation, giving it a distinct place between popular reading and literature. Public information is limited, so biographical details are omitted.