No Defense, Volume 1.

Sir Horatio Gilbert George ParkerProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 125K 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.No Defense, Volume 1. by Gilbert ParkerAuthor: Parker, Gilbert, 1862-1932,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Aug 1, 2004

Editor's review

No Defense, Volume 1. is the first volume of another long novel by Gilbert Parker, likewise circulated as a free eBook by Project Gutenberg. Judging by the title, the work turns on defense, responsibility, or a clash of positions, though the specific plot must be judged from the text itself. As the opening of a multi-volume work, this volume concentrates on establishing the terms of the conflict and the characters' situations rather than on resolution. For readers interested in how late nineteenth-century English fiction builds suspense and handles moral and emotional questions, this volume offers material for close reading. Its value lies not in standing as a complete story but in showing how a serialized long novel begins: how the author uses the title to signal theme and how scene and dialogue draw the reader into what follows. Enter it in a research or follow-the-series frame of mind, tracking the characters' positions as you read, and then decide whether to continue.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers interested in the structure of Parker's multi-volume novels
Writing students studying how English serialized novels open
Advanced English readers who want public-domain English texts for close-reading practice
Readers accustomed to following series and comfortable with postponed resolution

Not a good fit for

Readers who expect all conflicts to be resolved within one volume
Readers with low tolerance for long classical English sentences and descriptive passages
Readers who need a Chinese introduction or detailed notes to enter the text

Reading tips

Read the first volume to establish the theme and the characters' positions, then decide whether to continue.
Follow the thread of defense suggested by the title, noting how characters justify themselves and how responsibility is assigned.
Read alongside other works by Parker and compare similarities and differences in how he sets up his openings.
Work through the English original chapter by chapter, briefly summarizing each chapter afterward so the threads are not lost.

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

Does the first volume contain a complete story?

As the first volume of a multi-volume novel, it mainly establishes the characters' situations and the central conflict and usually does not resolve everything by the final page. It is better read as the starting point of a narrative; the complete plot requires the later volumes.

What theme does the title suggest?

The title points to defense, responsibility, or a conflict of positions, but its specific meaning must be confirmed through the characters' relationships and the unfolding plot in the text. As you read, note who is defending himself and who refuses defense, and how the author uses this to create tension.

Does the Project Gutenberg electronic edition have notes?

Public-domain eBooks released by Project Gutenberg are generally plain texts and usually carry no modern scholarly notes or introduction. Readers who need historical background and glosses should consult literary histories or reliable annotated editions separately.

Is it suitable to read alongside other works by Parker?

Yes. Several of Parker's works share themes and narrative methods, and reading them together helps identify his habitual character types and plot patterns. Both works, however, open multi-volume series, so it is best to track their threads separately to avoid confusing characters.

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About the author

Sir Horatio Gilbert George Parker Author · Canadian · 1862–1932

Sir Horatio Gilbert George Parker (1862–1932), known as Gilbert Parker, was a Canadian author and politician. Born in Ontario, he worked as a teacher and journalist before settling in London. He is known for novels depicting the lives of French Canadians, notably Pierre and His People and The Seats of the Mighty, the latter held in the library as a complete edition and in several volumes. From 1900 to 1918 he served as a Member of the British House of Commons, making him one of the few Canadian-born figures to achieve distinction in both literature and politics. His works often draw on Canadian history and French-Canadian society, with romantic narrative and attention to character and local setting. The library holds 134 of his works; classification information is limited, as are public records of the details of his writing.