Will Warburton

Gissing, George, 1857-1903Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 474K words
Chapters: 48

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.Will Warburton by George GissingAuthor: Gissing, George, 1857-1903,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Aug 1, 2003

Editor's review

Will Warburton is a novel by George Gissing centering on the fortunes of its protagonist, Will Warburton, and continuing the author's concern with how ordinary people maintain dignity and respectability under the pressures of reality. Gissing excels at depicting how financial hardship erodes human relationships and how characters struggle between ideals and making a living. Through Will Warburton's experience, the book presents the tension among social class, career choice, and personal self-respect; the narrative is plain yet tinged with irony, and the dialogue often contains observations on human nature and society. For readers familiar with Gissing's New Grub Street and similar works, this book offers another entry point into his themes. This Project Gutenberg public-domain English e-book is suitable as supplementary reading for British literature courses or for independent study. While reading, note the social pressures behind each of the protagonist's career and life choices, and appreciate Gissing's complex attitude toward respectability.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in late Victorian British fiction and social issues
Readers who have encountered Gissing's work and wish to read more of his novels
Literature students studying Gissing's themes and characterization
Readers needing public-domain English novels for courses or book-club discussions

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking tightly plotted novels with strong suspense
Readers uninterested in the social background of the Victorian era
Readers who prefer nonfiction or practical books

Reading tips

While reading, note the protagonist's repeated weighing of respectability against making a living; keep brief notes to track changes in his choices.
Consult materials on the economic and social background of Gissing's lifetime to understand the class pressures in the novel.
For the English original, proceed chapter by chapter and review character relationships and conflict development after each.
If used for a book club, design discussion questions around respectability and the dignity of work.

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 suitable as reading material for a British literature course?

It is suitable as supplementary reading for late Victorian fiction. The novel is moderate in length and deals with social class and the dignity of work, making it convenient for classroom discussion. Note, however, that it is a public-domain English original; instructors should provide background introductions and glosses for key vocabulary.

Do I need to read other works by Gissing before this book?

No. The book can be read independently and does not depend on the plots of other works. But if you have read other Gissing novels, you will more easily notice his consistent concern with characters' predicaments and the theme of respectability, and your understanding will be deeper.

Are there usage restrictions on the Project Gutenberg edition of Will Warburton?

The book is a public-domain e-book and can generally be read and downloaded freely; specific terms of use are subject to the notes on the Project Gutenberg page. It is suitable for personal reading, teaching, and general research; when quoting, cite the source edition.

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About the author

Gissing, George, 1857-1903 Author

George Gissing (Gissing, George, 1857-1903) was an English novelist, though public information about his life and education is limited. The library holds 24 of his works, most of which focus on the living conditions of the urban lower classes and those on the margins of the middle class, while also touching on themes of personal growth and self-discipline; they are commonly classified under inspirational growth. His representative works include New Grub Street, The Odd Women, The Nether World and Born in Exile. These works mostly present individual fates under poverty, class and professional pressure in a realistic style, with a cold and restrained tone. He also wrote By the Ionian Sea, a travelogue of southern Italy, and The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft, an essayistic work, revealing his observant and introspective side, as well as short story collections such as The House of Cobwebs and Other Stories.