In Kings' Byways cover

In Kings' Byways

Rating 3.5
Word count
471K words
Chapters
48

Tags

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.In Kings' Byways by Stanley John WeymanAuthor: Weyman, Stanley John, 1855-1928,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Aug 16, 2007

Editor's review

In Kings' Byways is a historical adventure novel by Stanley John Weyman, a typical example of the nineteenth-century English popular-literature tradition. Weyman was known for French historical romances, and this book continues his manner of interweaving court intrigue, aristocratic feuds and personal fate; the pace is brisk, with the plot driven by coincidence and action rather than psychological analysis. For readers curious about the shape of late-Victorian English historical fiction, it offers a light but typical sample: it does not aim at grand epic, but uses a tight adventure frame to carry imaginings of loyalty, honor and cunning. As a public-domain Project Gutenberg eBook, it is easy to access and suits supplementary reading in English literature classes or leisure reading for fans of historical fiction. Note that the work carries markedly period vocabulary and narrative habits; modern readers must adjust to its somewhat melodramatic dialogue and plotting, and should not judge its character depth by contemporary literary standards.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Readers who enjoy nineteenth-century English historical adventure novels
  • English learners who want to encounter Victorian popular narrative in the original
  • Literature teachers who need public-domain English texts as classroom supplements
  • Casual readers who prefer plot-driven books of moderate length

Not a good fit for

  • Serious literary readers expecting deep psychological characterization and complex themes
  • Beginners unused to nineteenth-century English vocabulary and narrative pacing
  • Researchers seeking detailed historical evidence or scholarly annotation

Reading tips

  1. Read a chapter or two first to get a feel for the language's rhythm before deciding to read it through; don't insist on looking up every rare word.
  2. Watch the shifts between court and countryside settings, and how the author uses spatial contrast to move the plot.
  3. Read it alongside historical novels of the same period to observe how honor is presented in adventure narrative.
  4. If using it for English study, excerpt period expressions from dialogue and organize them in batches rather than stopping at every one.

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.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48

FAQ

Is this book suitable for English beginners to read directly?
Not really, for complete beginners or elementary learners. The work uses nineteenth-century English, with sentence patterns and vocabulary at a distance from modern English, and its plot relies on period background. Intermediate reading ability or above is advisable, or read it with an annotated edition and introduction.
Do I need to know French history before reading this book?
No systematic preparation is required. Weyman's historical novels often use court politics as a backdrop, but the narrative centers on character action and adventure, and the author usually supplies necessary information within the plot. Some familiarity with the relevant history will make it easier to grasp characters' motives and allegiances.
What is the reading experience of the public-domain eBook edition like?
The Gutenberg edition's advantage is free, convenient access: the text can be freely copied, printed and searched, but it usually lacks modern editorial notes and typographic polish. Prepare your own dictionary tools, and note that some early electronic texts may differ in layout and formatting.

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About the author

Stanley John Weyman (1855–1928) was a British writer of historical novels, known for vivid scenes and tightly plotted adventure romances. Thirty of his works are held in this collection, mostly set in sixteenth- to eighteenth-century France and England and often involving religious wars, court intrigue and chivalric adventure. His representative novel A Gentleman of France, cast as the memoirs of Gaston de Bonne, is joined by Under the Red Robe, Shrewsbury, The Wild Geese and For the Cause, which likewise follow characters caught in historical upheaval. His fiction is notable for atmosphere and narrative pace; it found readers in its day and influenced later English historical adventure fiction. Because public information is limited, his early life and education are not discussed here.

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