The Message

Alec John DawsonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 565K words
Chapters: 57

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 Message by A. J. DawsonAuthor: Dawson, A. J. (Alec John), 1872-1952,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jan 21, 2009

Editor's review

As an English novel that has entered the public domain, The Message is valuable first as a sample of early twentieth-century English popular narrative. A. J. Dawson's writing carries the moral concerns and melodramatic coloring common to its era; the story advances through characters' choices and emotional tension rather than complex narrative experimentation. For today's readers, the pleasure of reading it comes not entirely from the plot itself but also from the contrast between its language style and the ideas of its time: how the characters speak, how they understand duty and fate, all convey a vanished world of discourse. Published free by Project Gutenberg, the book is easily accessible and makes a light option for reading English in the original. Readers are advised to treat it as literary-historical and linguistic material rather than expect a modern bestseller. Paying attention to the narrative rhythm and the period marks in the characters' dialogue will be more rewarding than simply following the plot.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who want a low-threshold introduction to early twentieth-century English fiction
Those interested in public-domain literature and early eBook resources
English learners who need short English readings for extensive reading practice

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer strong plot twists and modern narrative pacing
Those hoping for in-depth literary criticism or author studies
Readers unaccustomed to old-fashioned English expression and a moralizing tone

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the story's direction, then read again to notice period usage and narrative voice.
Don't look up every unfamiliar expression word by word; infer from context first, then check them together after finishing the chapter.
Read it alongside other English novels of the same period to appreciate what popular fiction shares in theme and 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 learning English?

It can serve as extensive reading material. Its language is early twentieth-century English, with sentence patterns and wording that differ from modern English, so it suits readers with basic reading ability who want exposure to older forms of expression. Beginners are not advised to use it as a primary textbook; unfamiliar usage should be understood from context rather than translated word for word.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg is the earliest project providing free eBooks, founded by Michael Hart in 1971. This edition is a digitized presentation of a public-domain text, freely available and convenient to read on electronic devices. It usually contains no notes or introduction from a modern publisher, so readers must grasp the background on their own.

Do I need to know about the author beforehand to read this book?

No. The book can be read independently, without relying on knowledge of the author's life. If, after reading, you become interested in the author's style or the historical background, it will be more effective to look up related material then. Reading the text first and researching the background later helps avoid preconceived judgments.

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About the author

Alec John Dawson Author · British · 1872–1951

Alec John Dawson (1872–1951) was a British writer, traveller and novelist, born in Wandsworth, London. He went to sea with merchant ships in his early years and later lived in Australia, where he worked in journalism; these transoceanic experiences supplied rich material for his later writing. Over his life he published more than thirty works, covering animal adventure, social observation and personal narrative. He is best known for the animal adventure novel Finn The Wolfhound, which centres on a wolfhound, and he also wrote Jan: A Dog and a Romance, The Message, The Record of Nicholas Freydon and A Temporary Gentleman in France. His animal stories often unfold from a dog's perspective, combining adventure with delicate portrayal of animal feeling, while some works draw on his experiences in France and his travels. Public information is limited, and details of his life and the overall assessment of his work remain to be further verified.