A Whim, and Its Consequences

George Payne Rainsford JamesProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 900K words
Chapters: 91

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 Whim, and Its Consequences by G. P. R. JamesAuthor: James, G. P. R. (George Payne Rainsford), 1801?-1860,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Apr 10, 2016

Editor's review

This is a novel by the English writer George Payne Rainsford James, belonging to the nineteenth-century tradition of historical romance and manners narrative. The author is known for plot development and dialogue, and the title itself signals the book's central interest: how a wilful impulse sets off a chain of consequences. The story turns on personal choices and turns of fate, with the unhurried pacing and moral observation of old-fashioned fiction. For contemporary readers its appeal lies not in density of suspense but in experiencing the narrative methods, social settings, and character-building techniques of the nineteenth-century English novel. The language is generally plain, though sentence patterns and vocabulary carry period features, making it suitable as advanced reading material in English literature. As for reading settings, it works well in installments on the commute or before sleep, following the chapters; it also suits readers interested in British fiction around the Victorian era as an extended title. Those expecting strong reversals or a modern pace should adjust their expectations.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English readers who enjoy nineteenth-century British fiction and want to broaden their reading
Learners who wish to improve their reading of long English sentences through original novels
Literature lovers interested in old-fashioned melodrama and narratives of personal fate
Readers studying James's work or Victorian popular fiction

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer fast pacing, strong suspense, and modern narrative techniques
Learners whose English is not yet proficient and who need simplified readers to begin
Readers seeking rigorously researched historical detail

Reading tips

Read in chapter-length segments, and at the end of each chapter summarize the characters' situation and key choices in one or two sentences.
When you meet a long sentence, first identify the subject-verb structure, then go back to the modifiers, so your reading rhythm is not broken.
Keep a simple character chart and update it as you read to avoid confusion when many characters appear.
After finishing, revisit where the 'whim' in the title plays out in the plot, and trace the chain of cause and effect.

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

I haven't read anything else by this author. Can I start with this book?

Yes. It is a standalone story and does not depend on earlier works. If you want to get a feel for the author's narrative style, read a few pages first to see whether you can adapt to the pace and sentence patterns of a nineteenth-century English novel before deciding to read it through.

How difficult is the English?

It is a nineteenth-century English novel, with period vocabulary and sentence patterns, many long sentences and old-fashioned expressions; overall it is harder than contemporary popular fiction. Readers with college-level English and some experience with original texts will find it easier to continue; beginners should use annotations or choose a simplified edition.

What does 'whim' in the title mean?

'Whim' means a sudden impulse or capricious idea, and the title signals that a casual decision by a character sets off a chain of consequences. As you read, note which plot developments are driven by momentary impulse and how those choices change relationships and fates.

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About the author

George Payne Rainsford James Author · British · 1801–1860

George Payne Rainsford James was a British historical novelist. Born in London in 1801 and died in Venice in 1860, he received the title of Royal Historiographer in 1837 and later served as British consul in the United States and consul-general in Venice. He wrote more than a hundred volumes of historical fiction; this collection holds 50 of his works, including Richelieu: A Tale of France, The Old Dominion, Arabella Stuart: A Romance from English History, Forest Days, and The Convict: A Tale. His fiction is mostly drawn from English and European history, placing fictional characters within real historical events, with detailed plotting and a romantic, legendary flavour. Public information is limited, and details of his life and critical assessment of his works remain to be further examined.