The Lonely House

Adolf Carl Streckfuss (Streckfuß)Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 291K words
Chapters: 30

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 Lonely House by Adolf StreckfussAuthor: Streckfuss, Adolf, 1823-1895,Language: English, Class: PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures, Release Date: Jan 11, 2011

Editor's review

This work comes from the nineteenth-century German writer Adolf Streckfuss and falls under Germanic language and literature; the English translation was prepared and released by Project Gutenberg. Judging by the title and the literary tastes of the author's era, it is closer to popular narrative driven by suspense and character fate than to difficult experimental writing. Readers can use it to understand the narrative pacing and scene-setting methods of the nineteenth-century German novel, as well as the era's readers' preference for themes of family, secrets, and solitude. As a public-domain ebook, it is extremely accessible, suitable as a supplementary sample for reading in the history of foreign literature or for comparing how English and German novels of the same period organize plot. It is best read as a small but concrete window: look at the story itself, and also at how a period's reading tastes were shaped. One caveat: the Gutenberg version is an English translation, and the original's feel and stylistic features are somewhat reduced in translation; those studying German literature should still consult the German original.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literature lovers interested in nineteenth-century German novels who wish to broaden their reading samples
Readers studying popular narrative and suspense structures, who can use it as material for genre analysis
Students needing public-domain English ebooks as supplementary course reading
Casual readers who enjoy old-style family secrets and themes of character fate

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting modern fast-paced thrillers or strong plot twists
Serious researchers who want only the German original and are unwilling to read an English translation
Readers lacking patience for nineteenth-century narrative pacing who are likely to give up midway

Reading tips

Read the opening chapters first, noting how the author uses the dwelling's environment to suggest the characters' circumstances, then decide whether to continue.
Keep a pen or annotation tool handy to note recurring images, and revisit their echoes after finishing.
If used for a course or reading group, read it alongside other English translations of nineteenth-century German novellas.
Break reading time into one chapter per session to avoid fatigue from old-style long sentences and maintain momentum.

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 in German or an English translation?

The version released by Project Gutenberg is an English translation, with the language field marked English. It suits English readers in following the story, but a translation cannot fully preserve the syntax and stylistic features of the German original. For language-study purposes, the German original should be found for comparison.

Can I get into it without a background in nineteenth-century literature?

Yes. The book is strongly narrative and can be followed without specialized knowledge. However, old-style novels have longer setup and slower pacing; it is advisable to try the first few chapters to confirm you are comfortable with this narrative mode before continuing.

Is it suitable for academic citation?

It can serve as a reading sample of a public-domain text, but academic citation should verify version information, including translator, source text, and publication notes. The Gutenberg page provides an electronic text; citations should note the source and access date, and issues involving translation should be checked against the German original.

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About the author

Adolf Carl Streckfuss (Streckfuß) Author · German · 1823–1895

Adolf Carl Streckfuss (1823–1895) was a German writer and historian, born in Berlin in 1823 and died there in 1895. He took part in the 1848 revolution and wrote political pamphlets before turning to literary creation. His works combine historical romance and crime fiction, such as Der Herr Präsident and Die von Hohenwald, with plots often centering on family fortunes, social conflict, and suspense. The collection also includes five titles—De Dageraad der Volksvrijheid, Too Rich: A Romance, Castle Hohenwald: A Romance, The Lonely House, and Quicksands—commonly classified as inspirational growth. He also wrote popular histories such as Five Hundred Years of Berlin History, showing a range from political writing and fiction to popular history. Public information is limited, and his literary style and later influence await further study.