The Young Colonists: A Story of the Zulu and Boer Wars
Henty, G. A. (George Alfred), 1832-1902Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019
Rating 3.5- Word count
- 424K words
- Chapters
- 43
Tags
English Originals War and Military FictionHistorical Fiction Historical ReappraisalMilitary StrategyAdventure JourneyHeroismComing of AgeExotic CultureSummary
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 Young Colonists: A Story of the Zulu and Boer Wars by G. A. HentyAuthor: Henty, G. A. (George Alfred), 1832-1902,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Jun 20, 2010Editor's review
This is a boys' adventure novel by the British author G. A. Henty set against the Zulu War and the Boer War, a work of young adult literature released as an English-language ebook by Project Gutenberg. Henty's books of this kind typically follow a young protagonist's military experiences, weaving historical events, marches and battles, and exotic sights into a continuous adventure narrative with brisk pacing and direct plotting, giving readers a glimpse of nineteenth-century colonial warfare through story. Its value lies in narrative readability and the evocation of historical atmosphere rather than in balanced, objective military history. A caution: the work carries pronounced period attitudes and a colonial perspective, and its portrayal of local peoples and of the wars reflects the views of a nineteenth-century British author; today's readers should keep a critical eye and treat it as material for understanding the popular literature and historical narrative of its time, not as an authoritative account of fact. It suits as extension reading for young readers of historical fiction, and also readers interested in Henty's work and the imperial adventure novel as a genre.Who it's for
A good fit for
- Young readers who enjoy historical adventure and want to enter history through narrative
- Popular history enthusiasts interested in the background of the Zulu War and the Boer War
- Readers and researchers studying nineteenth-century British young adult adventure fiction
- Mature readers able to view colonial-era narratives critically and willing to compare them with historical fact
Not a good fit for
- Serious history researchers expecting balanced, objective accounts of the wars
- Readers sensitive to colonial perspectives who do not wish to read such texts
- Adult fiction readers who prefer literary complexity and psychological depth
Reading tips
- First learn the basic timeline of the Zulu War and the Boer War, then enter the story.
- Mark passages that carry period prejudice and consider them against modern historical views.
- Read it alongside war accounts from other perspectives so as not to mistake the novel for fact.
- For young readers, discussion of the book's stance and wording with a teacher or parent is recommended.
About the publisher
Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971Project 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
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FAQ
What age group is this novel suitable for?
It is a boys' adventure novel with direct narration and many battle scenes, suitable for young readers with some historical grounding. Because the book carries a nineteenth-century colonial perspective, accompaniment by a teacher, parent, or introductory material is recommended to help readers recognize its period prejudices.Is the historical content in the book reliable?
The novel uses historical events as a backdrop but serves an adventure narrative; the characters and plot include fictional elements, and its stance clearly favors the British side of the time. It can offer period atmosphere and a sample of popular narrative, but it cannot be used as a factual source and should be compared with formal histories.Why should the book's stance be viewed with caution?
The work was produced in nineteenth-century Britain and carries the colonial and imperial attitudes common at the time; its portrayal of local peoples and of the wars is not neutral. Today's readers should treat it as a text for understanding the popular literary attitudes of that era, not as a set of values to accept.Does the electronic edition have notes or an introduction?
The Gutenberg edition is a public-domain electronic text and typically has no modern annotations, historical background introduction, or index of place names and people. It is best to fill in the background of the wars beforehand and to look up unfamiliar places and figures as you read.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
Henty, G. A. (George Alfred), 1832-1902 AuthorGeorge Alfred Henty (1832–1902) was a well-known British writer of historical adventure novels for young readers in the nineteenth century. The collection here contains 107 of his works, most of them drawn from major historical events in Europe and the Americas: By Right of Conquest is set during Cortez's conquest of Mexico, Under Wellington's Command takes the Peninsular War as its background, and For the Temple deals with the fall of Jerusalem. He typically placed a young hero at the centre of real historical scenes, weaving military campaigns and political struggles together with personal adventure. The plots are tightly paced and rich in detail, and they reflect a distinctly British outlook and the moral tastes of the Victorian age. His output was considerable, and his books had a lasting influence on later historical adventure fiction. Public information about his family, education and career is limited, so no speculation is offered here.