A Face Illumined

Edward Payson RoeProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 932K words
Chapters: 94

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.A Face Illumined by Edward Payson RoeAuthor: Roe, Edward Payson, 1838-1888,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Feb 1, 2001

Editor's review

A Face Illumined is a novel by Edward Payson Roe, who was known in the late nineteenth century for writing moral and sentimental fiction for a broad popular audience. Judging from the title and the author's style, the book centers on a character's countenance, inner transformation, and emotional vicissitudes, carrying the moral admonition common to popular fiction of the period. As a public-domain electronic text, its value lies more in presenting the emotional structures and values of nineteenth-century American popular literature, making it suitable for scholars of literary history or readers interested in old-fashioned sentimental narrative. Readers should attend to the psychological portrayal of characters and the moral judgments the author conveys through plot, rather than measuring the book by the pace of modern fiction. The text is the original English version and may be lengthy; advancing section by section is advisable, with attention to period-context expressions of sentiment and character.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying nineteenth-century American popular fiction and moral narrative
English-language readers who enjoy old-fashioned sentiment and character development
Teachers who need a public-domain English novel text for teaching or excerpting
Readers with a collecting interest in the works of Edward Payson Roe

Not a good fit for

Readers of modern fiction who prefer fast pacing and strong plot conflict
Beginners with weak English who struggle with nineteenth-century long sentences
Readers seeking modern editorial notes or background analysis

Reading tips

Advance chapter by chapter and briefly note changes in character relationships to avoid interruption from long sentences and period diction.
While reading, note how the author uses descriptions of appearance and facial expression to suggest character, as this is a clue to understanding the theme.
Compare with other nineteenth-century American popular novels to observe common patterns of moral admonition narrative.

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 for English learners doing close reading?

It can serve as advanced extensive reading material, but nineteenth-century English has long sentences and old-fashioned wording, making close reading burdensome for beginners. Attempt it after building some reading foundation, with a dictionary and background materials at hand.

What kind of story does the novel mainly tell?

Based on the author Roe's writing style and clues from the title, this is a nineteenth-century American popular novel of sentiment and morality, centering on inner transformation and emotional relationships; specific plot details should be confirmed against the original text.

Does this electronic edition have a table of contents or notes?

The information indicates this is a public-domain English text released by Project Gutenberg, with no mention of a table of contents, notes, or introduction. Before reading, you may look up background on the author and work to aid understanding.

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About the author

Edward Payson Roe Author · American · 1838–1888

Edward Payson Roe (1838–1888) was an American novelist, Presbyterian minister, and horticultural writer, born in Moodna, New York, who served as a chaplain during the Civil War. His fiction is known for its moral instruction and themes of personal growth, and his strongly moralistic works were once bestsellers in the late nineteenth century. His representative works include Barriers Burned Away, He Fell in Love with His Wife, and The Face Illumined, as well as A Knight of the Nineteenth Century, Miss Lou, Nature's Serial Story, and Success with Small Fruits. Nineteen of his works are included in the collection, commonly classified under inspirational growth. Public information is limited, and details of his life are largely unavailable; scholarship relies mainly on his novels and gardening essays to understand his ideas and style.