The Boy Nihilist

Arnold, AllanProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.3

Word count: 166K words
Chapters: 17

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.The Boy Nihilist by Allan ArnoldAuthor: Arnold, Allan,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Oct 20, 2007

Editor's review

The Boy Nihilist is a work by the author Arla Arnold, released as a free e-book through Project Gutenberg and classified under juvenile literature. Judging from the title, it centers on "boy" and "nihilism," carrying a distinct period-political flavor and readily evoking the projection of nineteenth-century Russian nihilist thought into popular literature. As an early English-language work aimed at young readers, its value lies more in showing how that era presented radical ideas, loyalty, and rebellion to young readers than in offering psychological depth in the contemporary sense. The language and plot bear the marks of old-fashioned boys' fiction; it can be read as a small window onto old popular literature and political imagination. It is suitable for readers interested in the history of juvenile literature and the literary representation of radical thought, and also suitable for intermediate English readers as extensive reading. It is best read with historical contextualization, without demanding it meet today's standards for young adult fiction.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the history of juvenile literature and old-fashioned boys' fiction
Researchers concerned with how trends of thought such as nihilism are represented in popular literature
Intermediate English readers who wish to do extensive reading of public-domain originals
Casual readers who enjoy adventure stories with a political flavor

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting the delicate psychological portrayal of contemporary coming-of-age novels
Readers wholly unfamiliar with the background of nineteenth-century political thought who are unwilling to fill in the gaps
Beginners whose English reading ability is not yet sufficient for old-fashioned English expression

Reading tips

First learn the basic background of nineteenth-century nihilist thought; the main text is easier to understand afterward.
Read the work within the context of juvenile literary history, noting how it presents politics to young readers.
For extensive reading in English, read through the plot first, then deal with unfamiliar words and old-fashioned expressions on a second pass.
After reading, note the book's depiction of "boy" and "radical," and compare it with contemporary works.

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 kind of work is this book?

According to Project Gutenberg's classification, the book falls under juvenile literature and is an early English boys' book. The title indicates that its subject matter involves nihilism and has a political and adventurous flavor, but the available materials provide no more specific plot information.

What does "nihilist" in the title refer to?

The term is usually associated with nineteenth-century Russian nihilist thought, which emphasized the rejection of the existing order and authority. This book borrows the label; how exactly it is presented must be judged from the original text. It is advisable to supplement basic background on this trend of thought before reading, to avoid taking it only literally.

Is there a Chinese translation of this book?

The available materials only show the English e-book released by Project Gutenberg and mention no information about a Chinese translation. If reading in Chinese is needed, one may have to look for other editions or read the English original with the help of tools.

Is it suitable for children?

Although the book is classified as juvenile literature, it was written long ago, and both its language and ideas bear the marks of its era; it also involves political thought. Whether it suits a child of a particular age requires parents to look through the original first and judge for themselves; it should not be recommended directly on the basis of classification alone.

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About the author

Arnold, Allan Author

Allan Arnold is an English-language author about whom very little is publicly known: his nationality, dates of birth and death, and full English name cannot be confirmed from available sources. Only one work by him is currently traceable, The Boy Nihilist. Judging from its title, the book most likely centers on the theme of nihilism, or features a young nihilist as its protagonist, a subject that fits the political and youthful-adventure fiction common in English popular novels from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century. Because both the available records and public sources are limited, it is impossible to establish Arnold's other writing experience, the date of composition, or the reception of his work, still less his place in literary history. Research on this author can for now proceed only from this single work, with cautious inferences drawn from the thematic direction suggested by its title; any further biographical detail must await the discovery of new documentary evidence.