The Rhodesian

Gertrude PageProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 501K words
Chapters: 51

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 Rhodesian by Gertrude PageAuthor: Page, Gertrude, 1872-1922,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jan 31, 2009

Editor's review

The value of this novel lies not in a sensational plot but in the textual sample it offers of Southern Africa as written by an early twentieth-century British author. Gertrude Page long set her work in South Africa, and this book continues her attention to interpersonal relations in colonial society; readers can observe the everyday ethics, gender roles, and emotional structures of the white settler community of that era. As a public-domain eBook from Project Gutenberg, it is extremely easy to obtain and serves well as an introductory read for understanding popular fiction on colonial themes. The style leans toward traditional narrative and the pace is not fast, but the dialogue and scene descriptions have a certain readability. It is best read as a historical slice: one can read the story and also the unselfconscious prejudices and imperial imaginings behind it. Suitable for reading in sections on a commute or before sleep, and for comparison with other colonial-themed works of the same period.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in early twentieth-century English popular fiction
Students and enthusiasts studying colonial literature or South African history
English learners who need public-domain English texts for reading practice
Readers who prefer slow-paced character-driven narrative over strong plot

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting fast-paced suspense or strong dramatic conflict
Readers sensitive to colonial-era values who find period-bound expressions hard to accept
Beginners who need a Chinese translation or annotated edition

Reading tips

Read the opening chapters first to get a feel for the narrative pace before deciding whether to read it through, so as to avoid giving up midway because the style feels dated.
Jot down descriptions of the African setting and character relationships as you read, for later comparison with historical sources.
Read alongside an overview article on the colonial history of Southern Africa to help understand the background.
The English original is fairly long; setting a fixed one or two chapters a day helps maintain continuity.

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 the original English edition, released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain eBook. Reading it requires some English proficiency; there is currently no official Chinese translation included with the book.

Can I understand it without a background in colonial history?

You can follow the main storyline, but some social relations and value judgments require background knowledge for full understanding. It is advisable to first learn the basic historical context of early twentieth-century Britain and Southern Africa; the reading experience will be smoother.

Is this book suitable for learning English?

It can serve as extensive reading material, but the work was written early, and some vocabulary and sentence patterns are dated, so it is not suitable as a model for spoken or modern written English. It is better suited to readers with some foundation who want exposure to literary English.

Comments

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About the author

Gertrude Page Author · British · 1872–1922

Gertrude Page (1872–1922) was a British novelist born in Warwickshire, England. In 1902 she moved with her husband to Southern Rhodesia, where she lived for many years thereafter, and most of her fiction is set against the backdrop of colonial life in Rhodesia. Three of her works are held in this collection: Paddy—The Next Best Thing, The Rhodesian, and Winding Paths. Her subjects centre on the everyday lives, relationships and circumstances of settlers and immigrants in southern Africa. Her writing is accessible and fluent, with an emphasis on plot and on the readability of her characters' situations; Paddy—The Next Best Thing and other representative works circulated widely among English-language readers and were adapted for the stage and screen, helping to spread awareness of Rhodesian colonial society in the English-speaking world. Public information about her life and work is limited, and no systematic study of her is yet available.