Vivian Grey

Disraeli, Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield, 1804-188Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.6

Word count: 1.1M words
Chapters: 111

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.Vivian Grey by Earl of Beaconsfield Benjamin DisraeliAuthor: Disraeli, Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield, 1804-1881,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Feb 1, 2006

Editor's review

Vivian Grey is Disraeli's novel from his youth and a literary prelude to his later political career. The book follows young Vivian Grey as he enters high society and maneuvers through political and social whirlpools; the tone is witty, the dialogue sharp, and it offers much satire on nineteenth-century British politics and human affairs. Its value lies not in a tidy plot but in observing an ambitious young man's growth and setbacks, and in the author's early insight into the game of power. As a Project Gutenberg public-domain eBook, it is easily accessible and suitable as an entry sample of the British political novel tradition, and for researchers to read alongside Disraeli's biography. Readers who can tolerate loose narrative and the distance of the era will find a vivid profile of Victorian political culture; those who prefer tight stories should adjust their expectations.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers interested in the tradition of the British political novel
Scholars studying Disraeli's early writing and life
Readers who enjoy nineteenth-century British social satire
Advanced learners seeking to expand their reading of public-domain English originals

Not a good fit for

General readers seeking strong plots and fast-paced narrative
Complete beginners unfamiliar with nineteenth-century British political background
Beginner readers who need modern annotation and introductory guidance

Reading tips

First read the preface or a biographical note on Disraeli's early life before starting the text.
Focus on social-scene dialogue and note the political implications behind characters' words.
Look up unfamiliar institutions and titles as you go; do not struggle word by word.
After finishing, compare with the author's later political career and reflect on the novel's autobiographical projection.

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 English beginners?

Not very suitable. The English was written in the nineteenth century, with sentence patterns and vocabulary characteristic of the era and dense social and political language. English learners who wish to try should have a good foundation in reading originals and use annotated or guided editions; otherwise they may lose the thread among character dialogue and institutional terms.

Why is it said to be related to Disraeli's political career?

When Disraeli wrote this novel he had not yet reached the heights of political power; the depiction of a young man entering high society and maneuvering among the powerful is often seen as his earliest literary observation of the political circle. Readers may treat it as a sidelight for understanding the author's later political stance, but should not equate the novel's plot directly with the author's experience.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg provides public-domain electronic texts that are free, easy to search and copy, and suitable for reading and preliminary research. However, this edition usually contains no modern scholarly annotation or introduction; readers who need deeper understanding of the historical background may need to consult related research materials or annotated editions.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Disraeli, Benjamin, Earl of Beaconsfield, 1804-188 Author

Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield (1804–188), was an English novelist and statesman. Public information is limited, and the details of his life cannot be fully set out in this entry. The collection holds nineteen of his works, including Sybil, Or, The Two Nations; Henrietta Temple: A Love Story; Vivian Grey; Coningsby Or, The New Generation; Endymion; Venetia; The Voyage of Captain Popanilla; and Lothair. These works draw largely on British political and social life, often set against the aristocracy, party conflict, and class divisions, and combine love plots with satire, marked by witty language and lively dialogue. The idea of "the two nations" put forward in Sybil has become widely known as a phrase for the social gulf between rich and poor. His novels are both readable and offer a literary perspective on nineteenth-century British political culture.