William Sharp: A Memoir Compiled

Sharp, Elizabeth A. (Elizabeth Amelia), 1856-1932Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 808K words
Chapters: 81

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.William Sharp (Fiona Macleod): A Memoir Compiled by His Wife Elizabeth A. SharpAuthor: Sharp, Elizabeth A. (Elizabeth Amelia), 1856-1932,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Nov 13, 2014

Editor's review

This book is a biographical memoir of William Sharp (pen name Fiona Macleod), compiled by his wife, Elizabeth A. Sharp. For readers studying late nineteenth-century British literature and the Celtic Revival, this memoir offers first-hand details of his life and creative background, and is especially helpful for understanding why Sharp published under a female pen name and how the literary circles of the time viewed the complexities of gender and identity. The letters, diary fragments, and recollections of friends and family collected here give the subject a vivid, three-dimensional presence rather than a mere catalogue of works. Read it as a combination of historical source and biographical portrait: one can trace Sharp's network of contacts with contemporary literary figures, and also sense the compiler's emotional stance and narrative choices as his wife. The Project Gutenberg e-book is easy to search by names and titles, making it suitable for research reading or as supplementary material for literary history courses. General readers who know nothing of the subject may need to learn about his representative works first for a fuller understanding.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Scholars and students of late nineteenth-century British literature and the Celtic Revival
Biography readers interested in the life of William Sharp / Fiona Macleod
Readers concerned with gender and pen names in literary history
Researchers needing first-hand letters and diaries for papers

Not a good fit for

General readers wanting Sharp's literary works themselves rather than a biography
Readers without basic knowledge of British literary history who need an introductory guide
Casual readers who prefer fast-paced narrative or fiction

Reading tips

Read Sharp's representative works or learn about the Fiona Macleod pen-name controversy first, then enter the memoir for smoother understanding.
Mark names and titles as they appear, and use literary-history reference works to verify the network of contacts.
Treat the wife's compiling perspective as an object of analysis, noting how she selects material and evaluates her husband's writing.
Read in stages: follow the main biographical thread first, then return to letters and diary fragments in detail, avoiding fatigue from dense historical material.

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

What is the relationship between William Sharp and Fiona Macleod?

William Sharp was a late nineteenth-century British writer, and Fiona Macleod was the female pen name he used. He published under this name, which prompted speculation in literary circles about his true identity. This memoir, compiled by his wife, is an important source for understanding this pen-name phenomenon and the subject's creative life.

Is this book an autobiography written by Sharp himself?

No. It was compiled by Sharp's wife, Elizabeth A. Sharp, and is a memoir written by another hand, drawing largely on letters, diaries, and recollections of friends and family. The book thus contains both biographical information about the subject and the compiler's emotional stance and selection of materials; readers should distinguish fact from narrative perspective.

Can I read this book without knowing British literary history?

You can, but understanding will be limited. The book involves many contemporary literary figures, works, and literary movements, and without basic knowledge it is easy to miss the point. It is advisable to look up brief introductions to the Celtic Revival and Sharp's representative works before reading, or to use the book as supplementary material for a literary history course.

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About the author

Sharp, Elizabeth A. (Elizabeth Amelia), 1856-1932 Author · British · 1856–1932

Elizabeth A. Sharp (1856–1932) was a British writer and feminist known for her literary biographies and critical writing. Only a small number of her works survive, and the library holds just one: William Sharp: A Memoir Compiled. This work centres on the life and writings of the poet William Sharp and belongs to the genre of compiled biography, showing her skill in handling a subject's life, gathering documents, and commenting on literary activity. Her writing combines the documentary quality of biography with the judgment of criticism, with attention to individual experience and creative development within literary life. Public information about her education, circle of acquaintances, and specific career is limited, so she can currently be introduced only through her surviving work and her standing as a writer.