The Treasure

Norris, Kathleen Thompson, 1880-1966Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 151K words
Chapters: 16

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 Treasure by Kathleen Thompson NorrisAuthor: Norris, Kathleen Thompson, 1880-1966,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jul 1, 2003

Editor's review

Kathleen Thompson Norris was a popular early twentieth-century American writer of commercial fiction whose works often dealt with family, marriage, and women's circumstances. The Treasure, also a public-domain ebook from Project Gutenberg, matters most for giving readers zero-cost access to an early American popular long work that is unlikely to be reprinted. In reading it, focus on its detailed depiction of daily life and its development of character psychology, and observe how popular fiction of the time responded through emotional stories to social expectations about women's roles and family duties. Because the original is in English and the book is early, its language is markedly distant from contemporary fiction and its plot moves slowly; it suits readers willing to read slowly and interested in literary-historical context. If used in a course or book club, pair it with author biography and early twentieth-century American social background to help understand the text's values.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in early twentieth-century American popular fiction
Researchers focusing on women's writing and domestic narrative
Literature lovers who want free public-domain English originals
Book club members using it as a selected reading for discussion of period background

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting strong suspense or fast-paced plot
Readers with weak English who rely on Chinese translations
Readers seeking detailed scholarly annotation and textual scholarship

Reading tips

Before reading, learn the general features of early twentieth-century American domestic fiction and enter the text with that period context
Read one or two chapters at a fixed time each day to keep character relationships and plot threads coherent
Mark passages describing women's circumstances and family relations, and review them together afterward
Read alongside works by other American women writers of the same period to compare how they handle subject matter

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 close in style to the author's other works?

Norris was known for popular fiction on family and emotional themes, and this work continues her attention to daily life and personal relationships. But one book cannot summarize her entire output; to understand her style, read other representative works for comparison.

Does the ebook have a table of contents and notes?

As a Project Gutenberg public-domain ebook, it usually provides a basic chapter structure but not the detailed notes and introduction of modern scholarly editions. Readers who need background should consult author biography, publication date, and social background themselves.

What can I do if I find it hard to keep reading?

Slow down and focus on character relationships and emotional changes rather than plot progression. You can also skim key chapters or read the ending first and then go back to the buildup. If it is still difficult, the book simply does not match your reading preferences, and switching to another work is entirely reasonable.

Comments

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About the author

Norris, Kathleen Thompson, 1880-1966 Author

Kathleen Thompson Norris (1880–1966) was an American writer of popular fiction, with twelve of her works held in this collection. Public information on her nationality, life, and education is limited, and no speculation is offered here. Judging from the works available, she excelled at writing about family, marriage, and women's growth, with a delicate and sympathetic touch, often depicting ordinary people struggling and persevering amid emotional turmoil and the pressures of life. Her representative works include Harriet and the Piper, Mother: A Story, Martie, the Unconquered, Saturday's Child, The Heart of Rachael, Undertow, Sisters, and Poor, Dear Margaret Kirby. Set mostly in everyday scenes, these works feature vivid characterization and plain yet moving plots, showing her sustained attention to women's circumstances and family ethics, and offering readable examples for understanding early twentieth-century American popular fiction.