The Secret Glory

Machen, Arthur, 1863-1947Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 364K words
Chapters: 37

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 Secret Glory by Arthur MachenAuthor: Machen, Arthur, 1863-1947,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Mar 20, 2011

Editor's review

The Secret Glory is a novel by the Welsh author Arthur Machen and a classic of English literature, released here by Project Gutenberg as a free eBook. Machen is known for mystery, the supernatural, and spiritual themes; this book continues his focus on hidden experience and spiritual questing, with a narrative that moves between the real and the mystical in a somber, suggestive atmosphere. For readers interested in the late nineteenth-century British tradition of fantasy and weird fiction, it is a work worth including in their view; the English original also suits as advanced reading material for English literature. As a public-domain eBook, the text is easy to search and read in parallel, suitable for advancing chapter by chapter in fragmented time such as commuting or before bed, and also for reading alongside Machen's other works to observe the coherence of his themes. Note that the language bears the marks of its era and the plot relies on atmosphere rather than fast-paced conflict, so readers need some patience with English reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy British weird and mystical literature
English literature enthusiasts who want to understand Arthur Machen's work
Students who need a public-domain English text for parallel reading or research
Slow readers who prefer atmosphere over strong plot

Not a good fit for

Readers of popular fiction seeking fast-paced plots and clear endings
Beginners with weak English reading skills who need annotated support
Readers uninterested in religious or mystical themes

Reading tips

Read a brief introduction to Machen's life and literary background before the main text to grasp his mystical tone.
Advance chapter by chapter, noting atmosphere and symbolic clues after each chapter to avoid stopping due to the slow plot.
Read alongside other British weird short stories to observe differences in Machen's narrative pacing in a long work.
Use the eBook search function to mark recurring keywords and help trace the thematic threads.

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 the English original, released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain English literary work, with no Chinese translation.

Can I understand it without a background in mysticism?

You can, but it takes patience. Machen's work emphasizes atmosphere and suggestion; learning the basic features of late nineteenth-century British weird literature first will make the main text smoother.

What are the features of the Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg provides free electronic texts that are easy to search, copy, and read in parallel, suitable for research or fragmented reading, but they usually contain no modern annotations or introduction.

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About the author

Machen, Arthur, 1863-1947 Author

Arthur Machen (1863–1947) was a British writer known for his fantasy, horror and supernatural fiction. Ten of his works are included here, among them The Great God Pan, The Three Impostors or, The Transmutations, The Hill of Dreams, The House of Souls, The Terror: A Mystery, The Secret Glory, Far Off Things and The Angels of Mons: The Bowmen and Other Legends of the War. His writing often draws on the Welsh countryside, ancient legend and pagan survivals, quietly introducing supernatural forces into ordinary settings and creating a restrained yet lasting sense of psychological dread. He is regarded as an important forerunner of modern horror literature, and his style relies on atmosphere and suggestion rather than explicit violence. The story The Bowmen also gave rise to a widely circulated social legend. Public information is limited, so details of his life are not elaborated here.