From One Generation to Another

Merriman, Henry Seton, 1862-1903Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.6

Word count: 358K words
Chapters: 36

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. From One Generation to Another by Henry Seton Merriman. Author: Merriman, Henry Seton, 1862-1903. Language: English. Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature. Release Date: September 1, 2005.

Editor's review

Merriman was a late nineteenth-century British novelist whose works often took up adventure, diplomacy, and family destiny. The title of this novel already announces the theme of generational inheritance, and the narrative unfolds around family relations and the choices of its characters, carrying the moral tension and plot-driven manner common to late Victorian fiction. For readers who enjoy old-fashioned English storytelling and are drawn to family themes, it offers a sample of the tastes of British fiction of the period. As a public-domain ebook, the text is freely available and well suited as supplementary reading in English literature. Readers should keep the historical context in mind: the logic of characters' behavior and the conceptions of social class differ considerably from today's, and only by understanding this can one grasp the narrative's proportions. Those reading for language learning may note the period features of its syntax and diction.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English-language readers who enjoy late Victorian British fiction
Readers interested in family generations and characters' choices
Learners who wish to use a public-domain English novel for extensive reading practice
Enthusiasts studying the tastes of late nineteenth-century British popular fiction

Not a good fit for

Beginners whose English reading ability is not yet sufficient for old-fashioned long sentences
Readers who prefer modern, tight pacing and strong suspense
Readers wholly unfamiliar with nineteenth-century social background and unwilling to fill the gap

Reading tips

Read a chapter or two first to get used to the old-fashioned English syntax, then decide your reading pace.
Keep a character-relationship chart at hand; in generational stories, forms of address are easily confused.
Read alongside background material on late nineteenth-century British society.
Read mainly for extensive comprehension; do not check every word, and preserve the sense of narrative continuity.

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 suitable for English beginners?

Not really. The text is a late nineteenth-century English novel with long sentences and period diction, and beginners can easily spend too much effort on details. It is better attempted after some experience reading English originals.

What does the generational theme in the title mean?

The title points to inheritance and influence between one generation of a family and another. The novel unfolds around family relations and characters' choices; the specific plot must be felt in the reading, and one should not presume the story's direction from the title alone.

Is this a public-domain book, and what should I note when reading?

Yes, it is a public-domain ebook and freely available. Different editions vary in typesetting and proofreading quality; choose one with clear layout and sensible paragraph breaks so as not to hinder the continuity of reading long sentences.

Comments

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About the author

Merriman, Henry Seton, 1862-1903 Author

Henry Seton Merriman (1862–1903) was a British novelist of the late nineteenth century. His real name was Hugh Stowell Scott, and he wrote under the pen name "Merriman." Public information about him is limited, and many details of his life remain uncertain. Sixteen of his works are held in this collection, including From One Generation to Another, The Slave of the Lamp, Roden's Corner, The Isle of Unrest, The Vultures, The Last Hope, Barlasch of the Guard, and Dross. These novels often draw on continental European political intrigue, diplomacy, and adventure, with tightly constructed plots in which characters are caught between moral and fatal tensions, giving the books a fin-de-siècle melancholy. Merriman was popular with readers in his lifetime, and his narrative skill and evocation of exotic settings exerted some influence on later popular historical adventure fiction.