Vice in Its Proper Shape

AnonymousProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.5

Word count: 66K words
Chapters: 7

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.Vice in its Proper Shape by AnonymousAuthor: Anonymous,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Aug 20, 2008

Editor's review

This is an old English work published under the name "Anonymous" and classified by Project Gutenberg under juvenile belles lettres, that is, children's literature. Judging from the title and classification, it is closer to a moral allegory or cautionary tale, presenting through narrative the consequences of "vice" in contrast with its "proper shape," and carrying a clear didactic tone. Its value lies in reflecting how the English-speaking world of a certain historical period expressed moral education for children, its narrative conventions, and its linguistic habits; it can serve as a sample for studying the history of children's literature, moral-education texts, or old-fashioned English reading matter. The style is rather classical, and the plot advances through allegory rather than realism; today's readers may find it blunt or even stiff. It is best read in its historical context, with attention to its educational intent and narrative strategies, rather than judged by modern standards of children's literature. It suits readers interested in public-domain children's books, moral allegories, or the history of the English language, and can be read in short sections alongside background notes.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers studying the history of children's literature and moral-education texts
Readers interested in English public-domain allegories and cautionary tales
Language-history learners in need of old-fashioned English corpus material
Readers who enjoy short allegorical stories and can accept a didactic style

Not a good fit for

Young readers seeking modern children's-literature appeal and illustrated experience
Novel readers who prefer realistic plots and complex characterization
Readers distinctly averse to moralizing narration

Reading tips

Read the opening and table of contents first to grasp the allegorical structure, then select by theme rather than reading straight through.
After each story, summarize its moral in one sentence to check whether you have grasped the author's intent.
Mark unfamiliar old-fashioned expressions first and look them up after finishing a passage, so as not to interrupt the reading rhythm.
Read alongside children's moral readers from other periods to observe changes in educational discourse.

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 to give directly to children?

It is not really recommended to hand it directly to modern young readers. The language is old-fashioned, the didacticism is strong, and it lacks the narrative pacing and illustrations familiar to contemporary children. If giving it to a child, an adult should first screen it and provide background notes, or use it as parent-child reading material, discussing the lessons and period differences as you go.

What does "Proper Shape" in the title mean?

Judging from the title and its juvenile-literature classification, it roughly means "vice presented as it truly is," that is, revealing through stories the real consequences and true nature of vice, with a moral cautionary intent. The specific plot should be judged from the original text; readers may note how each story conveys this theme through contrast.

Why is the author listed as Anonymous?

In the Project Gutenberg record the author is Anonymous, that is, unknown. This is not uncommon in old cautionary reading matter of this kind, perhaps because the original book was unsigned, the attribution was lost, or the publisher deliberately withheld it. Readers need not dwell on the author's identity and should focus instead on the text's educational intent and linguistic features.

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About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is a collective designation used in English-language publishing for works whose authorship is unknown or unsigned, rather than the real name of a single author. The 716 titles attributed to this name include the Gospel of John, Psalms, Romans, Luke, Philippians, and 1 Corinthians from the World English Bible, as well as the Gospel of John and Psalms from the King James Version. Such texts are mainly religious classics and ancient folk traditions that were copied, translated, and compiled over long periods, making their original authors difficult to trace; they therefore circulated anonymously. Public information is limited, and neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be confirmed. The significance of anonymity lies in focusing attention on the works themselves rather than on authorial identity, and in reminding readers of the collective and variable nature of texts in transmission.