Free Russia

Dixon, William Hepworth, 1821-1879Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 786K 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.Free Russia by William Hepworth DixonAuthor: Dixon, William Hepworth, 1821-1879,Language: English, Class: DK: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Russia, Former Soviet Republics, Poland, Release Date: Feb 3, 2016

Editor's review

Free Russia is a work of Russian travelogue and commentary by the nineteenth-century English writer William Hepworth Dixon, blending travel writing, social observation, and political commentary. Writing from a Victorian British perspective, the author records Russian social institutions, religious conditions, and reform trends, with observations marked by the stances and personal judgments of his time. The book's value lies in offering a sample of how a nineteenth-century Westerner understood Russia, useful for comparing the continuities and changes in Western narratives about Russia across periods. It should be read as a historical document rather than a guide to contemporary conditions, with attention to distinguishing factual accounts from the author's commentary and to the context of modern Russian history. As a public-domain electronic text, it is easy to search and excerpt, making it a useful supplementary source for readers in history, comparative literature, and area studies.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Researchers of Russian and modern European history needing nineteenth-century Western observational texts
Readers in comparative literature and cultural studies interested in the genealogy of Western narratives about Russia
English-language readers interested in nineteenth-century travel writing and social commentary
Students needing public-domain historical sources for course papers

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking accurate information on contemporary Russia
General readers who prefer Chinese and are unaccustomed to nineteenth-century English prose
Rigorous researchers expecting a systematic academic monograph or fully annotated edition

Reading tips

First learn about nineteenth-century Russian reforms and Anglo-Russian relations, then read the main text to identify the author's stance.
Distinguish travel observations from the author's commentary while reading, marking key judgments and checking relevant historical facts.
Read alongside other contemporary Western travelogues about Russia to observe differences in narrative.
Use the electronic text to search place names and figures, and organize the author's itinerary and lines of argument.

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 travelogue or a historical study?

It is closer to a hybrid of travelogue, social observation, and political commentary. The author bases his account on firsthand observations while expressing judgments about Russian institutions and reforms; readers should distinguish factual accounts from personal commentary and not treat it as a systematic historical monograph.

Are the book's views still reliable today?

The book was written in the nineteenth century and carries the British perspective and biases of its time; some judgments no longer apply to the present. Its value lies mainly in reflecting how Westerners then understood Russia, and it should be assessed in light of modern historical research rather than used directly as a reference on current conditions.

What if reading the English original is difficult?

Nineteenth-century English has long sentences and formal diction. Start with chapter titles and topic sentences to grasp the structure, then read paragraph by paragraph. Looking up place names, personal names, and institutional terms in reference works or background sources can significantly ease comprehension.

Is this book suitable as material for a course paper?

As a public-domain primary text, it can be used for topics such as nineteenth-century Western narratives about Russia, the travelogue genre, or Anglo-Russian cultural perceptions. When citing it, note the author's stance and historical limitations and corroborate it with other sources.

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About the author

Dixon, William Hepworth, 1821-1879 Author · English · 1821–1879

William Hepworth Dixon (1821–1879) was an English historian and traveller. He wrote chiefly on history and travel, combining historical narrative with first-hand observation in a plain, detail-conscious style. Two of his works are held in this collection: Free Russia and its Dutch translation Het Vrije Rusland, both reflecting his sustained interest in Russian society and politics; he also wrote such works as The Tower of London and Two Queens. Public information about his life is limited, and details of his education, posts and career are largely unavailable; his influence rests mainly on these historical and travel writings.