If Any Man Sin

Hiram Alfred CodyProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 460K words
Chapters: 47

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.If Any Man Sin by H. A. CodyAuthor: Cody, H. A. (Hiram Alfred), 1872-1948,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jun 10, 2011

Editor's review

If Any Man Sin is a novel by the Canadian author H. A. Cody and belongs to the vein of northern frontier and rural life fiction for which he is known. A former clergyman, Cody often wrote about moral choices, tests of faith and human responsibility; the title comes from a religious context and hints that the story centres on wrongdoing, conscience and redemption. As a public-domain ebook, its value lies chiefly in showing the narrative style and moral concerns of early twentieth-century Canadian popular fiction in English: the plot moves steadily, the characters face ethical choices in difficult circumstances, and the book carries the didactic tone characteristic of its time. It will not suit modern readers seeking strong plot twists, but it does suit those interested in Canadian regional literature, the tradition of clergyman-writers, or the ethical themes of early English popular fiction. Read it with an understanding of its period context, paying attention to dialogue and to depictions of inner struggle.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Canadian literature in English and regional fiction
Students of early twentieth-century popular fiction on religious and moral themes
General readers who enjoy steady narratives centred on moral choices
Intermediate and advanced English learners looking for public-domain texts for reading practice

Not a good fit for

Readers of modern genre fiction who prefer fast pacing and strong twists
Readers sensitive to religious preaching and the moral attitudes of the era
Beginners in English who need simplified reading material

Reading tips

Read the opening chapters first to gauge the narrative pace, then decide between close and casual reading.
Note the psychological passages where characters face wrongdoing and responsibility, and trace the ethical threads.
Understand the religious language in light of Cody's background as a clergyman rather than judging it hastily.
When using it for English study, mark period expressions and dialect and organize them systematically.

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 the title mean, and how does it relate to the content?

The title comes from a religious phrase about what happens if a man sins, hinting that the novel revolves around wrongdoing, conscience and redemption. Treat it as a clue to the characters' moral dilemmas rather than as a plot summary; how exactly it resonates emerges from the choices the characters make in the text.

What is the author Cody's background? Does it affect reading?

H. A. Cody was a Canadian author who worked as a clergyman, and his works often involve faith, duty and rural life. Knowing this helps in understanding the book's moral language and didactic tone; readers who dislike such a tone may find the experience affected.

As a public-domain ebook, how good is the edition?

The book was released by Project Gutenberg as part of its public-domain texts; it is usually proofread but may retain the wording and punctuation habits of the original publication. Unfamiliar expressions are normal and can be judged from context rather than taken as errors.

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About the author

Hiram Alfred Cody Author · Canadian · 1872–1948

Hiram Alfred Cody (1872–1948) was a Canadian Anglican priest and novelist. Born in Codys, New Brunswick, in 1872, he was ordained in 1896. He spent five years as a missionary in Whitehorse, Yukon, and kept forty-three diaries there; this northern experience supplied material for his later writing. Cody published twenty-five novels in his lifetime, drawing largely on the northern wilderness, seafaring adventure and United Empire Loyalist pioneering. His representative works include The King's Arrow, The Fourth Watch, Glen of the High North and his Yukon tales, and his books are commonly classed as inspirational coming-of-age fiction. He became archdeacon of Saint John in 1927 and died there in 1948. Eleven of his works are held in this collection.