An English Squire

Christabel Rose ColeridgeProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 780K words
Chapters: 79

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.An English Squire by Christabel R. ColeridgeAuthor: Coleridge, Christabel R. (Christabel Rose), 1843-1921,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 8, 2013

Editor's review

An English Squire is a novel by Christabel R. Coleridge, a 19th-century English author and member of the Coleridge family of writers and poets. The book is categorized under English literature in Project Gutenberg and is available as a free electronic text, allowing readers to encounter this now rarely mentioned Victorian novel at no cost. Judging from the title and category, the work centers on the life of the English gentry and belongs to the popular rural and domestic narrative tradition of its time, making it useful for observing how 19th-century English rural social structure, class relations, and moral attitudes were expressed in literature. Its value lies more in its significance for literary history and social customs than as plot-driven popular reading. The text is the original English without modern annotations, requiring some command of English and patience with the Victorian background. For readers studying the fiction of the period or seeking to expand their reading of lesser-known classics, it offers a convenient entry point.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary scholars studying Victorian English fiction
Readers interested in the 19th-century English gentry and rural society
Enthusiasts looking to broaden their reading of lesser-known public-domain English classics
Readers with good English proficiency who prefer slow-paced domestic narratives

Not a good fit for

General readers hoping for strong plots and fast pacing
Beginners with weak English who rely on Chinese annotations
Those with little interest in old-fashioned long-form narrative and period background

Reading tips

Before reading, learn about landownership and social status among the 19th-century English gentry.
Read it as a sample of literary history, focusing on how characters and social relations are portrayed.
Read the opening and closing chapters first to grasp the main thread, then decide whether to read the whole book.
Note period vocabulary and details of etiquette as background knowledge.

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 this book's connection to the Coleridge family?

The author, Christabel R. Coleridge, was a 19th-century English writer from the renowned Coleridge family and was related to the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Her work belongs to the Victorian novel tradition, and this book is one of her novels; specific family details can be verified elsewhere.

Why is this book not well known today?

Victorian fiction was vast in quantity, and many works never entered the modern canon; this book is one of them. It survives as a public-domain eBook through Project Gutenberg, intended mainly for researchers and readers interested in the literature of the period rather than as a mass-market title.

Can I understand this book without annotations?

Readers with good English reading ability and some knowledge of 19th-century English society can try. The book may involve gentry life, local social events, and other period content that poses comprehension obstacles without annotations. It is advisable to read introductory or background material first, then approach the original text, using a dictionary as needed.

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About the author

Christabel Rose Coleridge Author · British · 1843–1921

Christabel Rose Coleridge (1843–1921) was an English novelist and editor of a girls' magazine, and a granddaughter of the poet Coleridge. From 1869 onward she published more than ten novels, including Lady Betty. The library holds seven of her works: The Constant Prince, An English Squire, Waynflete, Amethyst: The Story of a Beauty, Kingsworth or, The Aim of a Life, Maud Florence Nellie or, Don't care!, and Hugh Crichton's Romance. Her fiction draws on English provincial and domestic life, focusing on young people's growth, moral choices, and girls' education; her plain, gentle style carries the didactic tone of late Victorian popular fiction. She collaborated with the writer Charlotte Yonge and wrote her biography. Public information on her life and work remains limited and awaits further sorting. She died in Torquay in 1921.