Brought Forward

Robert Bontine Cunninghame GrahamProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 224K words
Chapters: 23

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.Brought Forward by R. B. Cunninghame GrahamAuthor: Cunninghame Graham, R. B. (Robert Bontine), 1852-1936,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jan 10, 2015

Editor's review

R. B. Cunninghame Graham's Brought Forward is a work of personal observation and narrative, a relatively obscure selection within public-domain English literature. Its value lies in the author's perspective as a traveler and social observer, recording what he saw and felt, with writing that often attends to people's circumstances and the character of places; the narrative does not aim for strong drama but leans toward essayistic unfolding. For readers, the book's appeal is a plain, era-marked observational perspective, useful as supplementary reading for understanding early twentieth-century English essays and travel narratives. Readers should not expect tight plotting but should attend to the narrator's attitude, choice of details, and the social concern behind the text. Its limitations are that the work's context is distant from contemporary readers, some references require background knowledge, and as a public-domain ebook it lacks modern annotation, so beginners may need to consult background materials. Overall it suits readers with patience for English reading and an interest in travel literature and social observation, to be read slowly.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in English travel literature and essays of social observation who are willing to read slowly
Readers with some English reading ability who want to broaden their view of public-domain literary selections
Readers who enjoy plain narrative and records of period life and do not seek strong plot
Advanced learners who need obscure English materials for close-reading practice

Not a good fit for

General fiction readers who prefer fast-paced plots and strong dramatic conflict
Beginners with weak English and little patience for period background and unfamiliar references
Entry-level readers who want modern annotation and introductions and rely on辅助 materials

Reading tips

Read the opening first to understand the narrative perspective and language style, then decide whether to continue.
Mark unfamiliar place names or historical references as you go, and look up the background after finishing a section.
Read one or two sections at a time, and afterward summarize the narrator's main observations in your own words.
Read alongside a map or period background materials to help understand the work's regional and social context.

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 a novel or a travel essay?

The materials indicate it belongs to English literature and has a personal observational and narrative character, closer to essayistic unfolding than to a strong-plot novel. Readers should attend to the narrator's perspective and choice of details rather than expect a tight storyline.

Can I understand it without modern annotation?

Readers with intermediate or better English can try, but some period background and regional references may require independent lookup. It is advisable to mark difficulties first and look them up later rather than laboring over every word, focusing on understanding the overall narrative attitude.

Is it suitable as material for intensive English reading?

It suits learners with some foundation who are willing to read slowly. You can choose one section for close reading and work through sentence structure and narrative logic, but using the whole book as a textbook for sentence-by-sentence analysis is not recommended, to avoid an excessive reading burden.

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About the author

Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham Author · Scottish · 1852–1936

Robert Bontine Cunninghame Graham (1852–1936) was a Scottish writer, traveller and socialist politician, born in London. As a young man he went to Argentina to work as a gaucho and also travelled in Morocco, Mexico and elsewhere. In 1886 he was elected to the British Parliament as its first avowedly socialist member, and he helped found the Scottish Labour Party and the Scottish National Party. Over four decades he wrote steadily, producing such representative works as Mogreb-el-Acksa, a travel account of Morocco; A Vanished Arcadia, a history of the Jesuits in Paraguay; and the story collections Brought Forward and Thirteen Stories. His writing blends travel observation, historical enquiry and narrative craft, marked by keen observation and a distinctive personal style.