Major Frank

Anna Louisa Geertruida Bosboom-ToussaintProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.6

Word count: 334K words
Chapters: 34

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.Major Frank by A. L. G. Bosboom-ToussaintAuthor: Bosboom-Toussaint, A. L. G. (Anna Louisa Geertruida), 1812-1886,Language: English, Class: PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures, Release Date: Dec 5, 2008

Editor's review

This work is a historical novel by the Dutch author Bosboom-Toussaint, centered on the figure of "Major Frank" and carrying the weight and moral concern characteristic of nineteenth-century historical narrative. The author excels at laying out details between family fate and the changes of the era; character relationships and inner conflicts are written with considerable density, suiting readers willing to read slowly and attend to character psychology and historical atmosphere. As a public-domain ebook, it also provides readily accessible text for readers studying nineteenth-century Dutch literature and the historical novel tradition. It is best approached as a long narrative that requires patience to enter: first clarify the character genealogy and historical background, then appreciate the author's treatment of themes such as duty, faith, and honor. It is not a fast-paced popular story; its value lies more in its significance as a literary sample in historical context and in observing how a woman writer depicts the male-dominated public sphere.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in nineteenth-century European historical fiction
Literature students studying Dutch literature or works by women writers
Readers willing to read long works slowly and attend to character psychology and moral conflict
Advanced learners who need public-domain English texts for reading practice

Not a good fit for

Readers of popular fiction who prefer fast-paced plots and strong suspense
Readers uninterested in nineteenth-century historical background and unwilling to check context
Learners with little English reading experience who are intimidated by long narratives

Reading tips

Look up the author's biography and nineteenth-century Dutch historical background before starting the text.
Make a character relationship chart while reading to avoid confusion over translated names and family titles.
Pause briefly after each chapter and note how the author handles honor and duty.
Read alongside critical material on nineteenth-century historical fiction to understand its literary position.

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 is the language and edition situation of this book?

The book is a public-domain English ebook released by Project Gutenberg, with the main text in English. It is a public-domain reset edition without modern scholarly notes or introduction; readers needing background material should consult literature on the author and nineteenth-century Dutch history themselves.

Can I read it without a foundation in European history?

You can read it, but it will take longer to get into. It is advisable to first learn about nineteenth-century Dutch social and religious background, then focus on character relationships, using historical background as an aid to understanding character motives rather than as a reading threshold.

Is it suitable as English learning material?

It suits readers with some English foundation for long-form reading practice, but nineteenth-century narrative sentences are long and cultural-historical references are numerous, so beginners are not advised to use it as an introductory text. Try reading one chapter first to judge whether the difficulty is appropriate.

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About the author

Anna Louisa Geertruida Bosboom-Toussaint Author · Dutch · 1812–1886

Anna Louisa Geertruida Bosboom-Toussaint (1812–1886) was a Dutch historical novelist born in Alkmaar. Strongly influenced by Sir Walter Scott, she drew much of her material from Dutch history, paying close attention to historical atmosphere and the unfolding of her characters' fates. Her representative works include The House of Lauernesse and Major Frans. The library holds three of her works: Major Frank, Majoor Frans, and Frits Millioen en zijne vrienden. In her later years she turned to modern psychological fiction, focusing more closely on inner life and contemporary experience. Public information about the details of her life is limited; existing accounts concentrate chiefly on her historical fiction and her later stylistic shift.