Jack's Two Sovereigns

Fenn, A. S. (Annie S.), 1857-1893Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 128K words
Chapters: 13

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.Jack's Two Sovereigns by A. S. FennAuthor: Fenn, A. S. (Annie S.), 1857-1893,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Apr 20, 2019

Editor's review

Jack's Two Sovereigns is a work by Anne S. Fenn, a nineteenth-century British children's author, presented here as a free ebook by Project Gutenberg. It belongs to the category of juvenile literature; the story centers on the relationship between young Jack and two "sovereigns," and carries the moral instruction and coming-of-age themes common to Victorian children's books. For readers studying nineteenth-century English children's literature or interested in the provenance of Project Gutenberg editions, this short novel is a lightweight sample of the narrative style and values of its time. The electronic edition allows full-text searching, making it suitable as introductory practice material for reading in the original English and for comparison with works of the same period. Note that this is the original English text, transcribed by volunteers, so some typographic details may differ from the paper edition; read primarily for comprehension.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Learners who want to practice reading original English texts and prefer short juvenile novels
Readers and researchers studying nineteenth-century English children's literature
Ebook enthusiasts interested in Project Gutenberg catalogs and edition provenance
Commuters or bedtime readers who need light English reading material

Not a good fit for

Young adult readers expecting modern pacing and strong plot
Beginners unused to English originals who need a Chinese parallel text
Those uninterested in old-fashioned children's stories with heavy moral instruction

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the storyline, then read again to mark unfamiliar words and period language.
Read alongside background material on nineteenth-century British children's literature to understand its didactic tradition.
As extensive reading material, read one or two chapters a day and briefly retell the plot.

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 in Chinese or English?

This is the original English edition, published by Project Gutenberg and labeled as English. Chinese readers need some English reading ability or a dictionary for support.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg is the earliest provider of free ebooks; its editions are transcribed and proofread by volunteers, easy to search in full text and free to obtain, though typesetting may differ slightly from the paper edition. It is suitable for reading and research.

Is this book suitable for children?

It is itself juvenile literature, but it was written in the nineteenth century, and its language and values bear the marks of its time. If giving it to a child, parents are advised to look through it first and discuss its moral ideas with the child.

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About the author

Fenn, A. S. (Annie S.), 1857-1893 Author

Annie S. Fenn (1857–1893) was an English writer of children's literature who published under the name A. S. Fenn. Public information about her life is limited: her education, career and the full range of her writings lack reliable documentation, and what can be confirmed is only that she was active in the second half of the nineteenth century and is remembered for her stories. One work by her is held in this collection, Jack's Two Sovereigns. Judging from this title and the period in which she wrote, her work shows the typical features of Victorian children's fiction: young protagonists, plots built around money, responsibility and moral choices, and plain language that leans toward gentle instruction rather than preaching, making it suitable for young readers. Though little known today, her writing offers a concrete example for the study of nineteenth-century English children's literature and has some documentary value.