The Man in Black

Weyman, Stanley John, 1855-1928Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 182K words
Chapters: 19

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 Man in Black by Stanley John WeymanAuthor: Weyman, Stanley John, 1855-1928,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Mar 28, 2012

Editor's review

The Man in Black is a historical romance by Stanley John Weyman, typical of the nineteenth-century English popular fiction tradition. Weyman excelled at weaving identity mysteries and adventure plots against the backdrop of the French Wars of Religion and court intrigue, and this book follows that pattern, building its narrative around a mysterious figure in black, with considerable dramatic tension in its suspense and dialogue. As a public-domain eBook from Project Gutenberg, its value lies first in accessibility: readers can encounter the work in its original form at no cost, making it a suitable sample for understanding the late-Victorian historical adventure novel. While reading, note how the author handles the relationship between historical background and fictional plot, and how the figure of the "man in black" functions to advance the suspense. Because it is an English original from an early period, its language style is distant from modern English and its pacing is relatively unhurried, making it better suited to readers with an interest in the genealogy of British historical fiction who prefer slow reading than to readers of contemporary genre fiction seeking strong pacing.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in late-Victorian British historical adventure fiction
Researchers of Weyman's work or nineteenth-century popular literature
English learners seeking free public-domain English texts
Readers who enjoy court intrigue and identity mysteries

Not a good fit for

Readers accustomed to fast-paced contemporary suspense fiction who lack patience
Beginners whose English reading ability is not yet sufficient for nineteenth-century literary prose
Readers expecting a Chinese translation or annotated guidance

Reading tips

Read the opening chapters first to become familiar with Weyman's narrative pacing and the way characters are introduced, then decide whether to read the whole book.
Keep pen and paper to record character relationships and identity clues; the suspense depends on details laid down in advance.
Read alongside background material on nineteenth-century British historical fiction to understand its conventions.
For the English original, set a fixed goal of one or two chapters a day to avoid giving up midway because of the language barrier.

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 Chinese or English?

This is an English-language original eBook released by Project Gutenberg, in English, with no Chinese translation included. Some English reading ability is needed before reading, especially familiarity with the sentence patterns and vocabulary of nineteenth-century literary prose.

Do I need to pay or register to read it?

Project Gutenberg's purpose is to provide public-domain eBooks free of charge, and this book is one of its public-domain releases, usually available for direct download or online reading without purchase. For the specific access method, refer to the instructions on that platform's page.

Can I read this directly if I haven't read other works by Weyman?

Yes. Weyman's historical adventure novels are mostly standalone stories, and this book does not depend on earlier works. Still, a prior understanding of his common French historical settings and narrative conventions will make it easier to get into the plot and give a smoother reading experience.

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About the author

Weyman, Stanley John, 1855-1928 Author

Stanley John Weyman (1855–1928) was a British writer of historical novels, known for vivid scenes and tightly plotted adventure romances. Thirty of his works are held in this collection, mostly set in sixteenth- to eighteenth-century France and England and often involving religious wars, court intrigue and chivalric adventure. His representative novel A Gentleman of France, cast as the memoirs of Gaston de Bonne, is joined by Under the Red Robe, Shrewsbury, The Wild Geese and For the Cause, which likewise follow characters caught in historical upheaval. His fiction is notable for atmosphere and narrative pace; it found readers in its day and influenced later English historical adventure fiction. Because public information is limited, his early life and education are not discussed here.