The Vertical City

Fannie HurstProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 374K words
Chapters: 38

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 Vertical City by Fannie HurstAuthor: Hurst, Fannie, 1889-1968,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jun 1, 2004

Editor's review

This work is one of the representative novels by the African American woman writer Fannie Hurst, focusing on people's desire to climb upward in the city and the tensions between social classes. Hurst excels at depicting the glitter and cruelty of urban life, and her female characters often struggle between emotion and material gain, independence and dependence. The book does not stop at romance like ordinary popular fiction; instead, it writes the city as a "vertical" structure with a will of its own: the lower levels look up to the higher ones, and behind the glamour lie costs. Project Gutenberg offers the English public-domain e-book, suitable as supplementary reading for American literature courses or studies of women's writing, and also for readers who want to understand early twentieth-century American urban narrative. While reading, note the author's spatialized depiction of urban space and class mobility, and the period values reflected in characters' dialogue.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying early twentieth-century American literature and urban narrative
Literature enthusiasts interested in women's writing and gender roles
English majors using the public-domain English original for extensive reading
General readers who enjoy fiction about social class

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer contemporary fast-paced online literature may find the narrative pace unsuitable
Readers who only want a Chinese translation should note that this is the English original
Readers not interested in urban romance or social critique

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the main storyline, then return to closely read passages on urban space and class.
Read alongside background material on early twentieth-century American urbanization to understand the period logic of characters' behavior.
Read in comparison with other public-domain works by American women writers to compare narrative perspectives.

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 public-domain e-book released by Project Gutenberg; the original language is English. Readers can obtain it free from the Project Gutenberg website, and it suits readers with some English reading ability. If you need a Chinese version, look separately for a domestic published translation.

Can I understand it without a background in American literature?

You can understand the story level, but the class ideas and details of urban life carry clear marks of their time. It is advisable to learn a little about early twentieth-century American urbanization and changes in women's social roles before reading; this helps understand characters' motives and narrative intent.

Is this book suitable for academic citation?

As a public-domain electronic text, it can be used for general reading and classroom discussion, but academic citation should check authoritative editions and note the Project Gutenberg electronic source. For textual collation or edition research, consult paper scholarly editions.

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About the author

Fannie Hurst Author · American · 1889–1968

Fannie Hurst (1889–1968) was an American novelist and playwright, born in Hamilton, Ohio, and a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis. Over her career she wrote more than forty novels and short-story collections, drawing mainly on the everyday lives of ordinary women. Her work is notable for its fine detail and its engagement with social issues, striking a balance between popular storytelling and serious concern. This library holds six of her works, including Gaslight Sonatas, The Vertical City, Humoresque, Just Around the Corner, Star-Dust, and Every Soul Hath Its Song, which range across urban life, emotional entanglements, and the fate of women. Her best-known works, such as Back Street and Imitation of Life, were adapted for film several times, a sign of the enduring appeal of her narratives. Public information about the details of her life is limited, so this note confines itself to the facts available.