Chit-Chat Nirvana: The Searchlight

Holt, Mathew Joseph, 1866-Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

1.8

Word count: 429K words
Chapters: 43

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.Chit-Chat; Nirvana; The Searchlight by Mathew Joseph HoltAuthor: Holt, Mathew Joseph, 1866-,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jun 8, 2009

Editor's review

This is an English literary work by Matthew Joseph Holt (born 1866), released in electronic form by Project Gutenberg in 2019. Judging from the American literature classification number PS, it belongs to the category of American and Canadian literature. It is not long and contains three texts: "Chit-Chat," "Nirvana," and "The Searchlight." The Project Gutenberg edition preserves the language of the original, making it suitable as a primary sample for understanding American regional writing from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century. The writing bears clear marks of its period, and its narrative pace and word usage differ considerably from contemporary works, so reading it requires some grounding in English literary reading. As a free public-domain e-book, it is better suited to readers approaching it through language and literary history than to general readers seeking plot-driven entertainment. It is recommended for close reading with reference to annotations in a quiet setting, to appreciate the tone and structure of early American literary writing; it can also serve as supplementary material for research on American local newspapers or short-form genres.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Researchers interested in American literature from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century
English literature or translation students who need English public-domain textual material
Digital reading enthusiasts who like collecting early Project Gutenberg e-books
Advanced English readers who want to experience old American written style through the original text

Not a good fit for

General readers hoping for tightly plotted, highly narrative contemporary fiction
Learners with weak English who cannot yet read nineteenth-century English style smoothly
Readers who only want quick facts and do not intend to read the original closely

Reading tips

First browse the titles and opening paragraphs of the three texts to judge each one's genre and tone, then decide the order for close reading.
Keep an English or electronic dictionary at hand to look up old spellings and slang as you go.
Read alongside American literary works of the same period, noting period features in the author's word choice and narrative perspective.
If reading for research, take notes on typical sentence patterns or cultural background clues as you go, for later organization.

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 does this book contain?

According to Project Gutenberg information, the book contains three texts—"Chit-Chat," "Nirvana," and "The Searchlight"—and belongs to the American and Canadian literature classification. The specific genres and lengths should be confirmed against the original e-book.

What level of English is needed to read this book?

The language shows the word usage and syntax of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Intermediate or higher English reading ability is recommended, with a dictionary to handle old-fashioned expressions.

Is this a complete edition?

This electronic edition is published by Project Gutenberg and is a public-domain e-book that generally preserves the original content. For academic citation, check the specific edition information and page numbers.

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About the author

Holt, Mathew Joseph, 1866- Author · 1866

Mathew Joseph Holt (born 1866) was an English-language author active from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century. Publicly available information about his life is very limited: his nationality, education, and professional career are not clearly documented. What can be confirmed is that two works are attributed to him, namely Voices Birth-Marks The Man and the Elephant and Chit-Chat Nirvana The Searchlight. Judging from their titles, the two books appear to have an essayistic and reflective character, touching on images such as voices, birth-marks, the man and the elephant, chit-chat, nirvana, and the searchlight, and they seem to explore themes of life and human nature through miscellaneous reflections and parable-like discussion. Owing to the lack of biographical material, his writing style and influence on readers cannot be established with certainty, and only cautious inferences can be drawn from the titles and contents.