The Splendid Fairing

Project GutenbergProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 373K words
Chapters: 38

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 Splendid Fairing by Constance HolmeAuthor: ,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Aug 20, 2012

Editor's review

The Splendid Fairing is a novel by the English writer Constance Holme, prepared as a public-domain ebook by Project Gutenberg. Holme's work is set against English country life; her prose is delicate, and she excels at unfolding her characters' psychology through everyday incidents and family relationships. This novel likewise continues her attention to local scenery and the subtle recesses of human nature. For readers who want to understand early twentieth-century English regional literature, the book offers a sample that wins not through extraordinary plot but through atmosphere and character. The electronic edition preserves the language of the original and is a light option for reading in the original English. Readers may wish to slow down and note the social relations revealed in dialogue and descriptions of scenery; reading it alongside other English rural novels of the same period makes it easier to appreciate its reserved, restrained narrative pleasure. The book is moderate in length, suitable for reading in segments on the commute or before sleep, and also as supplementary reading for English literature courses.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English-literature readers who enjoy English regional fiction
Self-learners who want to improve their English reading through ebooks in the original
Literary scholars interested in the work of early twentieth-century women writers
Readers who need light public-domain English reading for spare moments

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer fast-paced, plot-driven fiction with strong dramatic conflict
Beginners whose English is not yet strong enough to read long English sentences independently
Users who want a version with detailed notes or an introduction

Reading tips

Read one chapter first to get a feel for the rhythm of the language, then decide whether to read the dialogue closely.
Keep a notebook and jot down links between rural scenes and character relationships.
Read it alongside other English rural novels of the same period to compare narrative styles.
Use the ebook's search function to revisit passages where characters first appear and clarify the network of relationships.

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 in the original English?

This is an English public-domain ebook released by Project Gutenberg; the text is in English, with no Chinese translation. It suits readers with some English reading ability who are willing to engage with the original text.

Will it be hard to read without notes or an introduction?

The language is generally plain, but details of English country life and period background may require some independent checking. Online dictionaries and background materials are helpful; there is no need to understand every cultural reference at first reading.

Is it suitable for learning English?

It can serve as extensive reading material, but is not recommended as a textbook for complete beginners. The book has many long sentences and regional expressions, and is better suited to readers at an intermediate level who want to become familiar with literary language.

Comments

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About the author

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