Prefaces to Fiction

Project GutenbergProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 82K words
Chapters: 9

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.Prefaces to Fiction by Boyce, Argens, Derrick, Manley, Scudéry, and WarburtonAuthor: ,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Dec 30, 2004

Editor's review

This is an anthology built around "prefaces to fiction," gathering prefaces written for novels by authors including Boyce, Argens, Derrick, Manley, Scudéry, and Warburton. Its value lies not in telling a complete story but in letting readers see directly how, in the seventeenth- and eighteenth-century English literary field, authors defended the novel as a genre, explained their creative intentions, responded to criticism, and even used prefaces to establish a contract with readers. For readers studying the history of the novel, the preface genre, or early English literary criticism, this is rare primary material. The Project Gutenberg electronic edition is easy to search and excerpt, making it suitable for close reading or source comparison. It is not, however, a popular reader: the prefaces themselves carry period rhetoric and argumentative coloring, and are hard going without background knowledge. Treat it as a thematic source collection rather than a cover-to-cover read; selecting by author or theme is more efficient.

Who it's for

A good fit for

University teachers and students studying the history of the English novel, the preface genre, or early literary criticism
Advanced readers interested in primary documents of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century English literature
Researchers who need public-domain English materials for textual analysis or citation
Readers who enjoy prefaces and introductions and are willing to understand literary tradition through paratexts

Not a good fit for

General readers who want complete novelistic stories and plot-driven entertainment
Beginners with weak English or without background knowledge of early English literature
Introductory learners seeking systematic literary history or detailed annotations

Reading tips

Skim the table of contents first and select by author or period; there is no need to read from the first page to the last.
Before each preface, look up basic information about the author and the novel prefaced to understand the context.
Keep a notebook and record the recurring justifications and modes of address to readers in the prefaces.
Read alongside novels of the same period to observe differences between what prefaces promise and what texts actually do.

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 this book contain complete novels or prefaces?

According to the material, this is "Prefaces to Fiction," a compilation of prefaces to novels, gathering prefaces written by several authors for novels rather than the novels themselves. Readers should use it as a collection of prefatory documents, not expect complete stories.

Can I read it without a background in literary history?

You can try, but it will be somewhat difficult. The prefaces involve contemporary genre debates and ideas about readers, and without background one easily sees only the literal meaning. It is advisable to read a concise introduction to the history of the English novel first, or use annotated materials, before returning to the original text.

Is it suitable for academic citation?

As a public-domain electronic text, it is suitable for close reading and preliminary citation, but for formal academic writing it is still advisable to check critical editions or facsimiles from authoritative publishers and to cite the source and access date of the Project Gutenberg electronic edition.

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