Lily Norris' Enemy

Joanna H. Mathews (Joanna Hooe Mathews)Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.3

Word count: 213K words
Chapters: 22

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.Lily Norris' Enemy by Joanna H. MathewsAuthor: Mathews, Joanna H. (Joanna Hooe), 1849-1901,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Feb 24, 2014

Editor's review

Lily Norris' Enemy is a work by the late nineteenth- to early twentieth-century American children's author Joanna H. Mathews (1849–1901) and belongs to juvenile literature. Mathews was known for moral growth stories written for children; this book revolves around the relationship between the girl Lily Norris and her "enemy," carrying themes of family, friendship, and character education common in children's fiction of that era. Its value for readers lies mainly at the documentary and historical level: it shows how English-language children's literature more than a century ago shaped images of girls, handled conflict and reconciliation, and wove moral instruction into everyday narrative. The language is generally plain and the plot moves in a traditional way, making it suitable for readers interested in old-fashioned children's literature, narratives of female growth, or the history of English reading. If recommended directly to today's young readers as a children's book, it should be presented with its historical context.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying late nineteenth-century English children's literature and narratives of girlhood
English-language readers who enjoy old-fashioned stories of family and character education
Cultural history enthusiasts curious about the writing style of children's fiction over a century ago
Readers who need public-domain English texts for language learning or textual analysis

Not a good fit for

Readers of modern fiction who want fast pacing and strong plots
Parents expecting contemporary children's-literature values and narrative styles
Beginners whose English reading ability is not yet sufficient to read the original independently

Reading tips

Understanding the children's-literature tradition of the author's time before entering the story makes its didactic tone easier to grasp.
Treat it as English original reading material, noting old-fashioned expressions and narrative conventions as you read.
After finishing, compare it with contemporary coming-of-age novels for girls and discuss how values in children's literature have changed.

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 to give directly to children today?

It can serve as English reading material, but the book carries late nineteenth-century moral instruction and period attitudes. Parents or teachers are advised to read it first, explain the background to the child, and then decide whether to read it together.

What kinds of works did Joanna Mathews mainly write?

According to the available information, she is an author in juvenile literature, and this book is classified as juvenile belles lettres. She was known for growth and character stories written for children; details of her life are limited, so one should not infer too much.

What English level is needed to read this book?

The text is a public-domain English original; the language is generally plain but contains old-fashioned expressions. It suits readers with intermediate English reading ability who can use a dictionary to understand long sentences; beginners are advised to use annotations or a translation.

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About the author

Joanna H. Mathews (Joanna Hooe Mathews) Author · American · 1849–1901

Joanna H. Mathews (full name Joanna Hooe Mathews, 1849–1901) was an American writer of children's literature. Born in New York and educated at Miss Ryshard's School, she published her first work, Guy Hamilton, in 1866. She went on to write mainly stories for young girls and became known for the "Bessie" series, including Bessie at the Seaside, Bessie in Town, and Bessie and Her Friends. Nine of her works are held in this collection, among them Uncle Rutherford's Nieces, Jessie's Parrot, Bessie Bradford's Prize, Belle Powers' Locket, Lily Norris' Enemy, and Nellie's Housekeeping, most of which center on family, friendship, and growing up. Public information about her life and writing career is limited, so this introduction focuses on the themes and style of her works.