The Storm. An Essay.

Daniel DefoeProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 15K words
Chapters: 2

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 Storm. An Essay. by Daniel DefoeAuthor: Defoe, Daniel, 1661?-1731,Language: English, Class: QC: Science: Physics, Release Date: Oct 14, 2012

Editor's review

The Storm. An Essay. is Daniel Defoe's essay-form record and discussion of a storm, classified here under physics. Rather than relying on plot like a novel, it unfolds through observation, description, and argument, revealing late 17th- to early 18th-century English interest in and ways of understanding natural phenomena. For readers, its value lies in offering a text that is both literary and colored by early scientific observation: one can read Defoe's narrative manner while also seeing contemporary discussion of storms' causes, effects, and disasters. It is best read as a historical text, attending to how the author gathers accounts and organizes arguments rather than judging it by modern meteorological standards. Suitable for readers interested in Defoe's nonfiction, the history of science, or early English social life.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers interested in Defoe's nonfiction
Learners interested in early scientific observation and the history of meteorology
Readers studying 17th- and 18th-century English society and disaster records
Readers who enjoy the essay form and are willing to read argumentative prose slowly

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a modern meteorology textbook or systematic scientific data
Readers who only want Defoe's novels and lack patience for essayistic argument
Readers who need a fully translated, annotated Chinese edition and do not read the English original

Reading tips

Read the opening and conclusion first to grasp Defoe's purpose and argumentative framework.
Mark accounts of the storm's effects as you read, distinguishing observation from inference.
Read alongside 17th- and 18th-century English historical background to understand the significance of disaster records.
If the English is difficult, read in sections and summarize each in one sentence before continuing.

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 a novel or an essay?

The material shows that this book is The Storm. An Essay., an essayistic discussion rather than one of Defoe's fictional novels. It offers observations and arguments about a storm, and should be read as nonfiction in light of its historical context.

Why is it classified under physics?

The material classifies the book under physics, indicating that its content involves observation and discussion of a storm as a natural phenomenon. It is not a modern physics textbook, however, but a text marked by early scientific observation and literary narrative, and should be read in historical context.

What background knowledge is needed to read this book?

Some knowledge of 17th- and 18th-century English history, early scientific observation, and Defoe's writing background will help. Without it, readers can still read through the text first, attending to how the author describes the storm's effects, organizes accounts, and develops arguments.

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About the author

Daniel Defoe Author · British · 1660–1731

Daniel Defoe (1661?–1731) was an English novelist, political writer and journalist, and a founding figure of realist fiction in the English Enlightenment. His birth year is recorded variously; the library lists 1660, and he died in 1731. A prolific author, he is represented here by 59 works, the best known being Robinson Crusoe, alongside Moll Flanders and A Journal of the Plague Year. His novels often follow individual fortunes and adventures, written in a plain, concrete and realistic style that presents characters' circumstances and choices in unadorned narrative, and his influence on the development of English realist fiction is far-reaching. Commonly classified under inspirational growth, his works are still read today as important accounts of endurance and self-reliance.