The Flag-Raising

Wiggin, Kate Douglas Smith, 1856-1923Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.1

Word count: 89K 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.The Flag-Raising by Kate Douglas Smith WigginAuthor: Wiggin, Kate Douglas Smith, 1856-1923,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Sep 1, 2000

Editor's review

The Flag-Raising is a children's literary work by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin, falling under the category of juvenile belles lettres within language and literature. Wiggin is known for depicting children's lives and educational settings, and this book unfolds around the ceremonial and collective theme of "flag-raising," making it a suitable introductory read for understanding English-language children's literature from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century. The language is relatively accessible and the narrative pace traditional, with attention to everyday detail and emotional atmosphere; readers can sense how literature of that era expressed children's character, community life, and patriotic feeling. As a public-domain eBook from Project Gutenberg, it is readily available and well suited as supplementary reading for English literature classes, or for readers interested in early children's literature and the literary portrayal of American local life. Rather than seeking strong plot conflict, readers may note how the author conveys values through ordinary scenes and the educational ideas of the time reflected in the text.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in English-language children's literature from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century
Middle school students or teachers seeking supplementary reading for English literature classes
Literature enthusiasts wishing to learn about American local life and the literary depiction of children's education
Readers who prefer accessible language and a gently paced traditional narrative

Not a good fit for

Readers of modern fiction seeking strong plot conflict and fast-paced narrative
Readers looking for deep social critique or complex psychological portrayal of characters
Beginners whose English reading ability is not yet sufficient to handle literary texts independently

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the overall atmosphere, then revisit the detailed descriptions and characters' reactions in the flag-raising scene.
Consider the author's historical context and note how children's education and community ceremonies are presented in the text.
Use it as intensive English reading material: excerpt sentences and passages describing everyday scenes and analyze their language features.
If used in class, discuss in groups how the book's values compare with those in contemporary children's literature.

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 suitable for English beginners to read directly?

The language is relatively accessible, but it is still a literary text with a certain amount of descriptive vocabulary and period usage. Beginners reading it independently may find it difficult; it is advisable to read with a teacher's or dictionary's help, or to start with simpler graded readers as a transition.

What is the main reading value of this book?

Its value lies mainly in presenting the narrative style and modes of value expression of early English-language children's literature. Through the everyday scenes surrounding the flag-raising, readers can learn how that era wrote about children's character, community life, and collective feeling, making it suitable as supplementary reading for literary history and educational ideas.

As a public-domain eBook, what should readers note?

This book comes from Project Gutenberg's public-domain electronic text, freely and readily available. Readers are advised to choose a clearly formatted version and to note that the text may retain early spelling or punctuation conventions; if used for citation or research, specific version information and publication notes should be verified.

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About the author

Wiggin, Kate Douglas Smith, 1856-1923 Author

Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin (1856–1923) was an American writer of children's literature. Because public information is limited, the details of her life are not elaborated here. The library holds 37 of her works, covering children's novels, holiday stories, and coming-of-age themes. Her best-known book, Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, features a lively and clever country girl, written in a bright, humorous style with close attention to character and everyday life. The Birds' Christmas Carol, Penelope's Progress, Timothy's Quest, New Chronicles of Rebecca, A Cathedral Courtship, and Mother Carey's Chickens likewise center on family, childhood, and warmth. Her writing is fresh and natural, often observing the world through a child's eyes, and her works had a certain influence on English-language children's literature of her time.