The Lee Shore

Dame Rose MacaulayProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 503K words
Chapters: 51

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 Lee Shore by Rose MacaulayAuthor: Macaulay, Rose, 1881-1958,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Aug 28, 2005

Editor's review

Rose Macaulay's The Lee Shore is an English novel with a satirical tone and moral reflection. Its title comes from a nautical metaphor, pointing to the safe but mediocre lee shore; the work revolves around its characters' choices and self-knowledge, exploring the balance of ideals, compromise and freedom amid witty dialogue and irony. Macaulay's narration is cool and slightly playful, adept at revealing character and conflicts of value through social scenes and conversation. Its strength lies not in dramatic plotting but in a gentle scrutiny of human weakness and its questioning of ways of life: whether to stay on the safe shore or sail toward risk and possibility. Readers who enjoy twentieth-century British fiction and witty prose will find it rewarding; it also serves as a literary slice for observing the social attitudes and gender situation of its time. Read it slowly, and attend to the irony in the dialogue and the narrator's attitude.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy twentieth-century British fiction and a satirical tone
Literary readers interested in personal choice, ideals and compromise
Those who want to observe the social attitudes and gender situation of the time through fiction
Readers used to reading English originals who prefer dialogue-driven characters

Not a good fit for

Readers of genre fiction who want strong plotting and fast pacing
Beginners not yet proficient in English reading who need extensive annotations
Readers expecting clear moral conclusions or inspirational answers

Reading tips

First sort out the main characters' relationships and positions, then savor the irony in the dialogue.
Note how the nautical metaphor of the title echoes the characters' choices, and read the whole book with that question in mind.
After finishing, revisit the key turning points and compare whether the characters' changes in attitude are credible.
The English original can be read chapter by chapter; at the end of each chapter, record one sentence judging the narrator's attitude.

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 does the lee shore in the title mean?

The lee shore is a nautical metaphor for safe waters sheltered from the wind. The title uses it to point to a stable but possibly mediocre choice in life, contrasted with sailing toward risk and freedom; understanding this metaphor helps grasp the book's thematic tension.

How difficult is this novel to read?

As twentieth-century British fiction, its language is not obscure, but its sentence patterns and word choices carry period features, and the dialogue is rich in irony. Readers with experience of reading originals can finish it smoothly; beginners are advised to use annotations and slow down.

Is it more a novel of plot or of character?

It is more driven by character and ideas; the plot does not rely on dramatic effects, and the focus is on characters' choices, dialogue and conflicts of value. Readers who enjoy close reading of psychology and social scenes will gain more; those seeking fast-paced stories may find it flat.

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About the author

Dame Rose Macaulay Author · English · 1881–1958

Dame Rose Macaulay (1881–1958) was a British novelist, travel writer and critic, born in Rugby, Warwickshire, and educated at Somerville College, Oxford. She first became known for social satires such as Potterism and Dangerous Ages, which target social manners and the psychology of her time. The library also holds eight of her works, including Non-combatants and Others, Mystery at Geneva, The Making of a Bigot, What Not: A Prophetic Comedy, The Furnace and The Lee Shore, whose subjects range from war and urban life to human nature. Her novel The Towers of Trebizond won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and her writing combines wit, intelligence and lively learning. She was made a DBE in 1958.