The Gipsy: A Tale cover

The Gipsy: A Tale

Rating 3.3
Word count
1.2M words
Chapters
117

Tags

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 Gipsy: A Tale (Vols I & II) by G. P. R. JamesAuthor: James, G. P. R. (George Payne Rainsford), 1801?-1860,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Apr 4, 2012

Editor's review

The Gipsy: A Tale comes from the hand of George Payne Rainsford James, a nineteenth-century author known for historical romance and adventure narrative. This electronic edition collects Volumes I and II, with a story built around Gypsy characters and the entanglements of fate, carrying the coloring of romantic legend: misunderstandings, hidden identity, and travel. It suits readers curious about the character of early Victorian popular fiction. The public-domain text provided by Project Gutenberg is easy to carry and search, but it is an original electronic edition without modern scholarly annotation, so readers must adjust to period spelling and narrative pacing. Overall, it is better treated as a historical specimen of genre fiction or as material for study of the author than as a first choice for modern readers seeking tight suspense; read alongside James's other historical novels, it better reveals the continuity and variation in his narrative formulas.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Readers interested in nineteenth-century English popular romance fiction
  • Researchers studying George Payne Rainsford James
  • Literature lovers who enjoy Gypsy themes and tales of fate and adventure
  • Intermediate and advanced learners who need public-domain English novels for reading practice

Not a good fit for

  • Readers expecting modern suspense pacing and a concise style
  • Beginners hoping for detailed historical notes and a scholarly introduction
  • Readers with little patience for nineteenth-century narrative conventions and slow exposition

Reading tips

  1. First understand the tradition of historical romance in the author's era, then enter the text; the narrative formulas become easier to grasp.
  2. Read volume by volume, and after each volume sort out character identities and misunderstanding threads to avoid confusion.
  3. Maintain historical awareness of the Gypsy image, distinguishing literary representation from the culture of real communities.
  4. Read alongside other Victorian adventure romances to compare character setups and suspense techniques.

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
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  13. 13
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  18. 18
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  27. 27
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  30. 30
  31. 31
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  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
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  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
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  68. 68
  69. 69
  70. 70
  71. 71
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  73. 73
  74. 74
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  77. 77
  78. 78
  79. 79
  80. 80
  81. 81
  82. 82
  83. 83
  84. 84
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  88. 88
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  90. 90
  91. 91
  92. 92
  93. 93
  94. 94
  95. 95
  96. 96
  97. 97
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  100. 100
  101. 101
  102. 102
  103. 103
  104. 104
  105. 105
  106. 106
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  108. 108
  109. 109
  110. 110
  111. 111
  112. 112
  113. 113
  114. 114
  115. 115
  116. 116
  117. 117

FAQ

Does this edition contain the complete story?
According to the information, this electronic edition collects Volumes I and II of The Gipsy: A Tale, as a two-volume set. It is not a single-volume abridgment, but whether it equals the entire story is not further explained in the information; readers can check the table of contents for completeness.
What genre is the author James known for?
George Payne Rainsford James was a nineteenth-century English author usually associated with historical romance and adventure narrative. This book also has romantic legend coloring, involving elements of identity, fate, and travel. When reading, note the balance between historical background exposition and popular narrative.
Does reading require extensive historical background knowledge?
Systematic historical knowledge is not necessary, but familiarity with common conventions of nineteenth-century English romance will help. When encountering period language or institutional background, infer from context and consult concise reference materials if needed. For research, supplementary reading on the author's life and the sequence of his works is recommended.

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About the author

George Payne Rainsford James Author · British · 1801–1860

George Payne Rainsford James was a British historical novelist. Born in London in 1801 and died in Venice in 1860, he received the title of Royal Historiographer in 1837 and later served as British consul in the United States and consul-general in Venice. He wrote more than a hundred volumes of historical fiction; this collection holds 50 of his works, including Richelieu: A Tale of France, The Old Dominion, Arabella Stuart: A Romance from English History, Forest Days, and The Convict: A Tale. His fiction is mostly drawn from English and European history, placing fictional characters within real historical events, with detailed plotting and a romantic, legendary flavour. Public information is limited, and details of his life and critical assessment of his works remain to be further examined.