The Rough Road

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

3.5

Word count: 548K words
Chapters: 55

Summary

"The Rough Road" is a novel by the British writer William John Locke, released as a public-domain eBook by Project Gutenberg. Locke's works often take human predicaments, social class and emotional entanglements as their threads, and this novel can likewise be read from the angle of characterization and narrative progression. Its value lies in presenting the reading tastes of early twentieth-century British popular fiction: plot-driven, with clear character relationships and an eye for social manners. For readers who want to understand Locke's work or study British popular fiction of the period, it is an accessible text. Readers may wish to focus on how the protagonist faces difficulties and choices, and on how the author uses dialogue and scenes to move the story forward. As a public-domain eBook, it is advisable to choose a clearly typeset edition and to note the ideas expressed that may bear the marks of their time.

Editor's review

The Rough Road is a novel by the English writer William John Locke, released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain eBook. Locke's works often trace character circumstances, social class, and emotional entanglements, and this novel can likewise be read for its character development and narrative drive. Its value lies in showing the reading tastes of early twentieth-century English popular fiction: plot-driven, with clear character relationships and an eye for social manners. For readers who want to understand Locke's work or study English popular fiction of the period, it is an accessible text. As you read, watch how the protagonist faces difficulties and choices, and how the author uses dialogue and scene to move the story forward. Since this is a public-domain eBook, choose a clearly typeset edition and be mindful of attitudes that may bear the marks of their time.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers who enjoy early twentieth-century English fiction
Literature enthusiasts who want to know William John Locke's style
Readers studying English popular fiction and social manners
Intermediate and advanced English learners who need a public-domain English novel for reading practice

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer contemporary fast-paced suspense or science fiction
Beginners with weak English who need notes and Chinese translation
Those interested only in nonfiction history or academic works

Reading tips

Read the first few chapters to gauge the narrative pace and character relationships, then decide whether to read closely or extensively.
Jot down the main characters' goals and conflicts as you read to keep track of the plot.
Compare with other works by Locke or English novels of the same period to observe his popular narrative style.
English readers can closely read chapters with more dialogue to build up colloquial expressions.

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 kind of novel is this?

It is a novel by the early twentieth-century English writer William John Locke, belonging to the popular literature written for general readers of the time. It focuses on character circumstances and plot development, with observations of social manners. For the specific plot, refer to the text itself; it is best not to expect it to fit modern genre labels.

How difficult is the English?

As an early twentieth-century English novel, the language is generally fluent, but it contains period vocabulary, sentence patterns, and background references; it is fairly friendly to intermediate and advanced English readers. Readers with weaker foundations may need to look up words and background notes; try the first two chapters to see whether it suits you.

What is the reading experience of the public-domain edition like?

The Project Gutenberg edition is free and easy to obtain, but its typesetting and notes are usually basic and it may not include an introduction or detailed scholarly annotations. Choose a clearly typeset electronic edition, pay attention to character relationships and period background as you read, and use a dictionary for unfamiliar expressions.

Comments

Find this book

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

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.