Susan Proudleigh

De Lisser, Herbert George, 1878-1944Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 458K words
Chapters: 46

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.Susan Proudleigh by Herbert George De LisserAuthor: De Lisser, Herbert George, 1878-1944,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jan 7, 2018

Editor's review

This novel comes from the Jamaican writer Herbert George De Lisser and is a noteworthy work in early twentieth-century Caribbean English literature. De Lisser consistently set his writing against Jamaican society and excelled at presenting colonial class relations and everyday life within accessible narratives. The book centers on the protagonist Susan Proudleigh, whose experiences reflect the multiple expectations placed on women, family, and identity in that society. As a free Project Gutenberg eBook, it is easily accessible and serves well as an introductory text for understanding the tradition of Caribbean English fiction, as well as extended reading for those interested in postcolonial literature and the writing of female figures. Note that this is the original English edition, not a modern annotated version, so some grounding in English literary reading may be needed; its narrative pace also differs from contemporary fiction, so it is best approached with a literary-historical perspective rather than purely for entertainment. For readers studying the genealogy of English literature or Caribbean literature, this is a text of supplementary value.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Caribbean English literature
Students of early twentieth-century colonial social writing
Readers seeking low-cost access to public-domain English novels
Readers concerned with female figures and class issues in literature

Not a good fit for

General readers hoping for a Chinese translation
Readers who prefer fast-paced contemporary genre fiction
Beginners needing detailed annotations and introductions

Reading tips

Familiarize yourself with early twentieth-century Jamaican society before entering the text to better understand the characters' circumstances.
Read alongside Caribbean literary history materials and place the book in the context of colonial-era English fiction.
Don't look up every unfamiliar word; first grasp the character relationships and main narrative thread.
After reading, note the conflicts between the protagonist's situation and social norms as a starting point for discussion.

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 in Chinese or English?

According to the information, this is the original English edition published by Project Gutenberg, with the language marked as English. There is no Chinese translation, so some English reading ability is required.

What is the author De Lisser's background?

The information shows the author is Herbert George De Lisser (1878–1944), with the work classified under English literature. He set his writing against Jamaican society, and this is one of his novels.

Is this book suitable as an introductory text?

It can serve as one of the introductory texts for understanding Caribbean English fiction, but it is not a modern annotated edition and lacks an introduction and notes. If your English is weaker, it is advisable to supplement with background materials first.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg was an early provider of free eBooks, and this is a public-domain eBook it published. Its advantages are easy access and low cost, but it typically does not include the annotations and introductions of modern publishers.

Comments

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About the author

De Lisser, Herbert George, 1878-1944 Author

Herbert George De Lisser (1878–1944) was a Jamaican writer and journalist. Public information about him is limited, but his literary activity is closely tied to the tradition of English-language writing in the Caribbean. His representative work is the novel Susan Proudleigh, the only title by him held in this collection. His fiction draws on Jamaican society, focusing on class differences, race relations and the situation of women during the colonial period, and often depicts everyday island life in a realistic manner, with plain language and local colour. De Lisser worked in journalism for many years, a background that gave his narratives an emphasis on readability and social observation. His writing holds a certain significance in the formative period of Jamaican literature in English, offering later Caribbean writers local subjects and models of expression, and he is a figure worth noting for understanding early twentieth-century Caribbean fiction in English.