Selections from the Observator

L‘Estrange, Roger, Sir, 1616-1704Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.1

Word count: 121K 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.Selections from the Observator (1681-1687) by Sir Roger L'EstrangeAuthor: L'Estrange, Roger, Sir, 1616-1704,Language: English, Class: DA: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: Great Britain, Ireland, Central Europe, Release Date: Jul 26, 2012

Editor's review

This book is a selection of articles by Sir Roger L'Estrange from The Observator, reprinting portions of the periodical from the 1680s and belonging to the literature of English history. Written originally in English, the pieces carry a pronounced polemical tone of their age and reflect the rhetorical style of political and social debate of the time, offering source value for understanding seventeenth-century English periodical writing and the forms of public discussion. As a historical selection it is not a systematic general history but a presentation of excerpts from primary texts; readers need to understand the positions and rhetoric in light of the historical context. It suits readers interested in early modern British history, the history of the early periodical press, or the genre of political polemic, and may serve as selected historical source reading or as extensive reading material in English historical texts; reading in sections alongside background materials is recommended.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in seventeenth-century English history
Students of the early periodical press and public discourse
General readers wishing to encounter primary English historical texts
Readers interested in the genre and rhetoric of political polemic

Not a good fit for

Beginners seeking a systematic general history of England
Ordinary readers who prefer light fiction or contemporary subjects
Rigorous researchers requiring full annotation and scholarly introduction

Reading tips

Before reading, learn something of seventeenth-century English political background to better grasp the articles' positions.
Read selectively by piece rather than straight through, prioritizing topics of personal interest.
Read alongside a textbook of early modern British history, using the selections as supplementary source material.

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 the complete Observator?

No. It is a selective compilation of articles from The Observator published between 1681 and 1687, containing only some pieces rather than a complete facsimile or full edition of the periodical. It should be treated as a historical anthology, not as the entirety of the publication.

Can I read it without a background in British history?

You can, but it is fairly demanding. The selections deal with seventeenth-century English political and social debate, and without background knowledge it is easy to lose track of positions and context. It is advisable to first gain a basic outline of British history of the period before approaching the texts; reading will then be much smoother.

Is it suitable as extensive reading material in English?

It can serve as extensive reading in English historical texts, but the language carries seventeenth-century polemical style, with sentence structures and vocabulary remote from modern English. It suits readers with some English proficiency and an interest in historical topics; short readings by piece, accompanied by background notes, are recommended.

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About the author

L‘Estrange, Roger, Sir, 1616-1704 Author · English · 1616–1704

Sir Roger L'Estrange (1616–1704) was an English Royalist political writer, translator and press censor. Living through the political turmoil of seventeenth-century England, he became known for his staunch Royalist stance, and his writings and activities were closely tied to the cause of the Crown and the established Church. He founded the newspaper The Observator, using it as a platform for political commentary against Parliamentarians and dissenters; his style was sharp and direct, with a strongly polemical tone. Two of his works are held in the collection: Selections from the Observator and Citt and Bumpkin. The former is a selection from his newspaper writings, while the latter uses dialogue to satirize Puritan and plebeian political participation, reflecting his characteristic use of satire and dialogue. Because public sources are limited, details of his early life and specific offices are difficult to verify, but his political writing and newspaper activity during the Stuart Restoration had some influence on the formation of English political opinion at the time.