The Lion's Share

Bennett, Arnold, 1867-1931Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 642K words
Chapters: 65

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 Lion's Share by Arnold BennettAuthor: Bennett, Arnold, 1867-1931,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Dec 27, 2004

Editor's review

The Lion's Share is a novel by the English writer Arnold Bennett and belongs to the canon of classic English literature. Bennett was known for his close observation of everyday life and human circumstance, and this book continues his engagement with social reality and the complexities of human nature. The story revolves around interest, distribution and personal relationships, and the title itself signals the central image of "the largest share." As a free Project Gutenberg eBook, it suits readers who want low-cost access to original English literary works. Reading it offers both the pleasure of Bennett's unhurried narrative pace and solid detail, and a window into the English novel of the early twentieth century. Because it is an English public-domain book, it is best chosen by readers with some grounding in English; annotations or a Chinese translation alongside will help. It is better suited to literary exploration than to beginning English reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy English literature and want to broaden their reading of classic authors
Learners with some English who want to read original English texts
Readers interested in early twentieth-century English society and human-nature themes
Researchers or students who need free public-domain eBook resources

Not a good fit for

Beginners with weak English who need a Chinese translation alongside
Readers who prefer fast-paced plots and strong suspense in genre fiction
Readers seeking the author's biography and in-depth critical commentary

Reading tips

First read chapter summaries to clarify the relationships between characters, then go into the text in detail.
Keep an English dictionary or electronic look-up tool handy and check unfamiliar words as you read.
Compare with commentary on Bennett's other works to understand his writing style.
Set a fixed weekly chapter schedule and write two or three English sentences summarizing each reading to reinforce understanding.

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 very. It is an original English text, and its vocabulary and sentence patterns reflect early twentieth-century English literature, which beginners may find difficult. Intermediate or higher English reading ability is recommended, or read a Chinese translation first to follow the plot before attempting the original.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg provides free eBooks, and this book is its public-domain English text, easy to obtain on a computer or e-reader. The text is primarily the original content and usually lacks a modern introduction and detailed notes, so readers need to supply background information themselves.

Do I need to know Bennett beforehand to read this book?

No. You can start directly with the text and experience the story and characters. For deeper understanding, a brief look at Bennett's life and writing background before reading can help, but the book does not depend on prior knowledge and can stand on its own.

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About the author

Bennett, Arnold, 1867-1931 Author

Arnold Bennett (1867–1931) was an English novelist, essayist and playwright. Publicly available information is limited, so his early life and education cannot be described in detail, but his work is clearly recognisable. He often set his writing in the five pottery towns of Staffordshire, his home region, portraying the daily livelihoods and emotional ups and downs of ordinary people in a meticulous, restrained style, and revealing character and circumstance through everyday detail. The collection here holds 45 of his works, including The Old Wives' Tale, Riceyman Steps, Clayhanger and several Five Towns story collections, as well as essays such as The Author's Craft and How to Live on 24 Hours a Day. His writing thus spans fiction and essays on life and the craft of writing, drawing its material from ordinary life with a plain style and close observation.