The Saxons: A Drama of Christianity in the North

Schoonmaker, Edwin Davies, 1873-1940Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.3
Word count
328K words
Chapters
33

Tags

English Originals Dramatic Literature Historical DramaFaith ConflictSolemn MoodVerse DramaMedieval NorthChristian MissionPaganism and ChristianitySaxons

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 Saxons: A Drama of Christianity in the North by Edwin Davies SchoonmakerAuthor: Schoonmaker, Edwin Davies, 1873-1940,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Oct 30, 2014

Editor's review

This verse drama centers on the historical spread of Christianity in the North, presenting conflicts of faith and personal choices in dramatic form; it is a rare historical-religious play in early twentieth-century American literature. Edwin Davies Schoonmaker advances the plot through dialogue, making the work accessible from both literary and religious-cultural perspectives. As a free Project Gutenberg e-book, it is best suited as supplementary reading for research on late nineteenth- to early twentieth-century American religious drama, or as extended reading for those interested in Saxon history and the process of Christianization. Readers should not expect the documentary density of a modern historical drama, but should focus on its dramatic structure and thematic expression. Since the original is in English and dates from an early period, the style is somewhat formal and rewards slow reading.

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Reading tips

  1. Read the preface or table of contents first to clarify character relationships and historical background before entering the dialogue.
  2. Read act by act, reviewing changes in characters' positions and conflicts of faith after each act.
  3. Read alongside concise historical materials on the spread of Christianity in the North for comparison.
  4. Mark unfamiliar expressions first and look them up after finishing the act, so as not to interrupt the 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.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33

FAQ

Is this book a historical work or a literary work? It is a dramatic literary work that presents the theme of the spread of Christianity in the North through verse dialogue; it is not a strictly historiographical work. Readers should focus on its dramatic structure, character conflicts, and thematic expression rather than using it as historical source material.
How difficult is the English, and what background is needed? The original is in English and was composed early, with a somewhat formal style and dialogue containing religious and historical vocabulary. It suits readers with university-level English reading ability who are accustomed to classical dramatic texts; those with weaker foundations may use annotations or a parallel translation.
How is the electronic edition best read? The Project Gutenberg version is a free electronic text, suitable for reading on a tablet or computer, where words can be looked up and passages marked. Reading in act-by-act segments and taking notes on character relationships is recommended to avoid the burden of reading it all at once.

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About the author

Schoonmaker, Edwin Davies, 1873-1940 Author · American · 1873–1940

Edwin Davies Schoonmaker (1873–1940) was an American lawyer, writer, and speaker. He often focused his writing on social and political issues, and his works touch on American social realities, war, and democratic ideals. Two of his works are included here: The Americans and The Saxons: A Drama of Christianity in the North. The former concerns American society and national character, while the latter treats the historical spread of Christianity in the North in dramatic form, showing that he attempted both discursive prose and drama. His writing tends toward argument and idealistic expression, often examining social problems from a moral and religious angle. Public information about the details of his life is limited; the present introduction rests mainly on his identity as a writer and on the themes of his works. He is commonly classified under inspirational growth, suggesting that his writings are often regarded in Chinese contexts as reading with a thought-provoking, motivational quality.