The Garden Without Walls

Dawson, Coningsby, 1883-1959Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.8
Word count
866K words
Chapters
87

Tags

English Originals Foreign Literature Social ObservationFate and FortuneFamily BondsLove EntanglementsUrban RomanceComplex HumanityPsychological InsightGrowing UpMoral DilemmaAmerican Literature

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 Garden Without Walls by Coningsby DawsonAuthor: Dawson, Coningsby, 1883-1959,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: May 28, 2017

Editor's review

Coningsby Dawson's novel threads the imagery of the garden and the wall throughout, weaving its narrative around emotion, memory, and turning points in life, with the sentimentality and introspection common to early twentieth-century English fiction. Its readability lies in atmosphere and the delicate unfolding of character psychology; the plot moves at a leisurely pace, privileging the accumulation of mood and impression over dramatic conflict. For readers curious about Dawson's style or interested in popular English fiction between the two world wars, this book offers a representative sample. Read it slowly and note how the garden imagery shifts from chapter to chapter, often signaling a change in the characters' inner states. Because the work bears clear marks of its era, some attitudes and narrative rhythms may feel distant to contemporary readers; approach its mode of expression with a literary-historical eye, as a window into the emotional structures of its time rather than a plot-driven read.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Note the recurring garden and wall imagery and track how its meaning shifts across chapters.
  2. Don't rush the plot; follow the chapter rhythm and let the characters' emotions accumulate.
  3. After finishing, revisit the opening and compare it with the characters' later turns of mind to grasp the structure's intent.

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.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51
  52. 52
  53. 53
  54. 54
  55. 55
  56. 56
  57. 57
  58. 58
  59. 59
  60. 60
  61. 61
  62. 62
  63. 63
  64. 64
  65. 65
  66. 66
  67. 67
  68. 68
  69. 69
  70. 70
  71. 71
  72. 72
  73. 73
  74. 74
  75. 75
  76. 76
  77. 77
  78. 78
  79. 79
  80. 80
  81. 81
  82. 82
  83. 83
  84. 84
  85. 85
  86. 86
  87. 87

FAQ

How is the pacing of this book? It is generally leisurely, emphasizing atmosphere and psychological unfolding rather than dramatic conflict. If you are used to fast-paced narration, it may feel slow at first. Adjust your expectations, focus on mood and imagery, and ease in chapter by chapter for a smoother experience.
Can I read this without knowing the author? Yes. The book stands on its own and does not depend on other works by the author. To deepen your understanding, learn about the broader landscape of English fiction in Dawson's time after reading, then revisit this book's stylistic features to place it more easily in literary history.
What is special about the garden in the title? The garden and the wall-less setting recur throughout the book, often echoing the openness or closure of characters' inner states and relationships. The specific meaning shifts as the plot progresses; note the relevant passages as you read and form your own interpretation rather than looking for a single fixed answer.

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About the author

Dawson, Coningsby, 1883-1959 Author

Coningsby Dawson (1883–1959) was a writer best known for his novels and wartime writing; public information about his life and nationality is limited, and 15 of his works are currently held in the collection. His subject matter is notably varied: works such as The Test of Scarlet: A Romance of Reality are wartime tales with a romantic coloring, while Murder Point: A Tale of Keewatin is a suspense story set in the wilderness. Christmas Outside of Eden reveals his interest in religious and allegorical themes, and Slaves of Freedom and The Garden Without Walls turn to social and human questions. The letter collections Carry On: Letters in War-Time and Out To Win: The Story of America in France record wartime experiences in a direct and affecting tone. Works such as The Little House reflect his gentle, lyrical narrative style.