Under the Red Robe

Weyman, Stanley John, 1855-1928Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.7

Word count: 344K words
Chapters: 35

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.Under the Red Robe by Stanley John WeymanAuthor: Weyman, Stanley John, 1855-1928,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Sep 1, 1999

Editor's review

Under the Red Robe is a historical adventure novel by the English writer Stanley J. Weyman, set against the political intrigue and personal dilemmas of Cardinal Richelieu's France. Weyman excels at weaving tense flights, disguises, and moral quandaries into a real historical framework; the narrative moves briskly, and the characters' wavering between loyalty and self-preservation is full of tension. Released free by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain English original, it serves as an accessible introduction to the style of late nineteenth-century British historical romance, and can also be used for English reading practice or in comparative literature courses to discuss how historical fiction uses the past to comment on the present. Readers should attend to the author's evocation of period atmosphere and his plot twists rather than treat the book as strict historical record.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers of English fiction who enjoy historical adventure and political intrigue
English learners seeking public-domain English originals for extensive reading practice
Instructors of comparative literature courses on historical fiction or popular literature
History and literature enthusiasts interested in the Richelieu era

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking rigorous historical scholarship or academic annotation
Those who prefer fast-paced modern suspense and lack patience for classical narrative
Beginners who need a Chinese translation or bilingual reading edition

Reading tips

Read one chapter as a trial and note the characters' allegiances and key objects to keep up with the plot twists.
Read alongside background material on the Richelieu era, distinguishing historical fact from fictional invention.
When using it for extensive English reading, excerpt three to five historical-scene vocabulary words per chapter.

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 the original English?

According to the available information, this is a public-domain English e-book released by Project Gutenberg, in English, classified under English literature. Readers need some English reading ability; the materials do not mention any Chinese translation.

Is it suitable for learning English?

It can serve as extensive reading material, but as a late nineteenth-century historical novel its sentence structures and vocabulary are rather classical, so it is not suitable for complete beginners. Intermediate-level readers or above are advised, focusing on following the plot and using vocabulary building as a secondary goal.

Do I need to know French history before reading?

Systematic study is not necessary, but some familiarity with the basic background of Richelieu's tenure helps in understanding the political intrigue and character motivations. A brief introduction to the period before starting the text is recommended.

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About the author

Weyman, Stanley John, 1855-1928 Author

Stanley John Weyman (1855–1928) was a British writer of historical novels, known for vivid scenes and tightly plotted adventure romances. Thirty of his works are held in this collection, mostly set in sixteenth- to eighteenth-century France and England and often involving religious wars, court intrigue and chivalric adventure. His representative novel A Gentleman of France, cast as the memoirs of Gaston de Bonne, is joined by Under the Red Robe, Shrewsbury, The Wild Geese and For the Cause, which likewise follow characters caught in historical upheaval. His fiction is notable for atmosphere and narrative pace; it found readers in its day and influenced later English historical adventure fiction. Because public information is limited, his early life and education are not discussed here.