Jessamine: A Novel

Harland, Marion, 1830-1922Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.4

Word count: 606K words
Chapters: 61

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.Jessamine: A Novel by Marion HarlandAuthor: Harland, Marion, 1830-1922,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jun 13, 2011

Editor's review

This novel comes from the pen of nineteenth-century American author Marion Harland and belongs to the popular narrative tradition within American literature. The story centers on the heroine Jessamine, portraying her circumstances and emotional turning points with delicate strokes, and carrying the moral concern and domestic-ethical perspective characteristic of women's writing of that era. For today's readers, its value lies not only in the plot itself but in offering a window onto nineteenth-century American social attitudes, gender roles, and daily life. The style is rather classical and the narrative pace relatively slow, suiting readers willing to slow down and savor old-fashioned English syntax. As a public-domain eBook from Project Gutenberg, it is easy to obtain and convenient to read on electronic devices in short sessions. If you are doing topical reading in American literary history or women's writing, this can serve as supplementary material; if you are simply looking for a light modern novel for entertainment, you will need to adjust your expectations. It is advisable to read the opening chapters first to get a feel for the language and narrative rhythm before deciding how deeply to engage.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students and enthusiasts studying or taking courses in American literary history or nineteenth-century fiction
Readers interested in early women's writing and gender issues
Readers who enjoy a classical narrative pace and are willing to read English originals slowly
Self-learners who need public-domain English texts as language-learning material

Not a good fit for

Readers of modern genre fiction who prefer fast pacing and strong plot conflict
Beginners with limited English reading experience who need annotated assistance
Readers seeking detailed historical background research or scholarly introductions

Reading tips

Read the first two chapters to get used to nineteenth-century English syntax before deciding your reading pace and depth
Keep a notebook to record character relationships and questions about the historical background, and look them up afterward
Read alongside works by other nineteenth-century American women writers to observe commonalities
Use the eBook's search function to revisit character threads and avoid getting lost in the long text

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

How difficult is the English in this book, and is it suitable for non-native readers?

The text is nineteenth-century English with long sentences and rather classical vocabulary; non-native readers will need a certain vocabulary and patience. Intermediate or higher English reading ability is recommended, or reading with a dictionary or a translation for comparison; it is not recommended as introductory English reading material.

What are the characteristics of the Gutenberg edition, and what should readers note?

The Gutenberg edition is a public-domain electronic text, freely available, usually in plain text or various electronic formats. It contains no modern publisher's annotations, introduction, or textual notes, so readers need to supplement background information themselves, and the formatting may be rather plain.

I haven't read any of the author's other works—can I read this one directly?

Yes. This is a standalone novel and does not depend on prior works. If you want to better understand the author's writing style and the context of the era, you can look up her biography and an overview of nineteenth-century American women's writing after finishing, as further exploration.

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About the author

Harland, Marion, 1830-1922 Author

Marion Harland (1830–1922) was an American author, born Mary Virginia Hawes Terrell. Her writing spanned domestic guides, cookbooks, fiction, and memoirs, and thirteen of her works are held in this collection. Her best-known book, Common Sense in the Household: A Manual of Practical Housewifery, offers systematic instruction in household management and established her standing as a writer on domestic economy; Breakfast, Luncheon and Tea and The Dinner Year-Book focus on meal planning and table etiquette. Beyond domestic subjects, she wrote the novel At Last and such autobiographical works as Marion Harland's Autobiography: The Story of a Long Life and When Grandmamma Was New: The Story of a Virginia Childhood. Public information on her life is limited, so biographical details remain sparse, yet her practical and warmly personal writing exerted a broad and lasting influence on American family life and domestic education in the late nineteenth century.