The Irrational Knot

Shaw, Bernard, 1856-1950Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 660K words
Chapters: 67

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 Irrational Knot by Bernard ShawAuthor: Shaw, Bernard, 1856-1950,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Feb 1, 2004

Editor's review

The Irrational Knot is an early novel by Bernard Shaw, a work of English literature now available as a free eBook from Project Gutenberg. An important attempt before Shaw moved from fiction to drama, it lets readers trace a future master playwright's exploration of narrative art and offers a point of reference for understanding the social criticism and dialogue style that recur in his later plays. The original is in English, with dense language and interwoven argument and dialogue, requiring a certain level of English reading ability. It is suitable as supplementary reading for courses on late Victorian fiction and for Shaw researchers and enthusiasts to read alongside his later plays and observe the evolution of his thought and technique. Read at a slower pace, note the narrator's attitude toward social custom and marriage, and consider the late nineteenth-century English social background to understand character motivation.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English literature students who need supplementary reading samples of late Victorian fiction
Shaw enthusiasts who want to understand his early novel writing
Literature researchers with good English reading ability, interested in the author's creative transition
Readers interested in late nineteenth-century English society and ideas of marriage

Not a good fit for

General readers with weak English who find it hard to read English originals
Casual readers expecting fast-paced plots and strong dramatic conflict
Readers interested only in Shaw's plays and not much in his early novels

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the main plot, then revisit key dialogue passages to feel the clash of characters' ideas.
While reading, note the narrator's comments on social custom and compare them with themes in Shaw's later plays.
Consult background material on late nineteenth-century English society to help understand the logic of characters' behavior.
For course reading, pair it with other English novels of the same period and discuss differences in narrative technique.

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?

Not really. This is an English original from the late nineteenth century, with period features in sentence structure and wording and many argumentative passages. Beginners are likely to struggle with long sentences and abstract discussion. It is better attempted by readers with upper-intermediate to advanced English who can read a long text continuously with a dictionary.

Do I need to know Shaw's plays first?

No. The book can serve as a starting point for understanding Shaw's early work; reading his plays afterward makes it easier to see how the social issues he cared about carried over from fiction to the stage. If you already know his plays, read with comparison in mind, noting similarities in dialogue style and characters' ideas.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

This edition is provided by Project Gutenberg as a free eBook, with the English text, convenient for searching and excerpting on a computer or e-reader. It suits study and research but usually has no scholarly notes or introduction; readers who need background explanations should pair it with literary history or introductory books.

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About the author

Shaw, Bernard, 1856-1950 Author

Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) was an Irish playwright and critic. Public information about the details of his life is limited, yet his works have had a profound influence. The collection here contains 53 of his works, covering drama, criticism, and discursive essays. His representative works include Pygmalion, Mrs. Warren's Profession, Man and Superman, Candida, Caesar and Cleopatra, Major Barbara, and Arms and the Man. His plays often use witty, sharp dialogue to explore such issues as social class, gender relations, moral hypocrisy, and idealism, combining comic tension with argumentative force to form a distinctive style of drama of ideas. Shaw was skilled at presenting conflicts of ideas through exchanges between characters, turning the stage into a place of public discussion and exerting an important influence on the development of modern English-language drama.