Winning His Way

Charles Carleton CoffinProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 277K words
Chapters: 28

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. Winning His Way by Charles Carleton Coffin. Author: Coffin, Charles Carleton, 1823-1896. Language: English. Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature. Release Date: Oct 7, 2007

Editor's review

Winning His Way is a novel by the nineteenth-century American author Charles Carleton Coffin, classified under American and Canadian literature and now reissued as a public-domain eBook by Project Gutenberg. Coffin was known for writing history and coming-of-age stories for young readers, and this book continues the inspirational narrative tradition common to its era, centering on a young man who makes his way through hardship by character and perseverance. As a nineteenth-century work, its pacing, values, and characterization bear clear marks of their time; for today's reader it can be read both as a coming-of-age novel and as a sample of nineteenth-century American juvenile literature's interests and social outlook. The Gutenberg edition is the original English text without modern notes, suited to readers with a foundation in English who are interested in public-domain classics and early American juvenile literature. It is not a tightly plotted modern novel; it is best approached in the spirit of literary history and language study, appreciating the unhurried pace and moral concern of older narrative rather than measuring it by contemporary genre fiction.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with a foundation in English who want to try public-domain English originals
Literature enthusiasts interested in nineteenth-century American coming-of-age novels
Learners hoping to build vocabulary and older expressions through English originals
Readers studying early American juvenile literature and social attitudes

Not a good fit for

Beginners who need modern notes and introductions to read an English original smoothly
Genre-fiction readers who prefer fast pacing and strong dramatic conflict
Readers impatient with nineteenth-century values and narrative pacing

Reading tips

Read one chapter first to get used to the older English syntax, then decide between close and extensive reading.
Mark unfamiliar words and look them up after finishing a section, so as not to interrupt the feel of the language.
Read alongside background material on nineteenth-century America to understand the book's values.
Treat the book as a sample of language and literary history, noting typical period expressions and characterization.

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

What language is this book in, and what English level does it require?

This is the original English eBook from Project Gutenberg, with no Chinese translation or modern notes. The syntax and vocabulary are characteristic of the nineteenth century, so a solid intermediate or higher reading level is recommended; readers with weaker English might start with a simplified retelling or a parallel translation before returning to the original.

What is the story about, and is it suitable as inspirational reading?

Judging from the title and Coffin's usual concerns, the book belongs to the tradition of inspirational coming-of-age narrative, telling of a protagonist who makes his way through hardship by character and perseverance. It does have an inspirational flavor, but its pacing and values are nineteenth-century; today's reader is better served by taking it as a coming-of-age novel and period sample rather than a modern self-help book.

Does the Gutenberg edition have notes or an introduction?

Project Gutenberg mainly provides original public-domain texts, and this edition generally contains no modern notes, introduction, or scholarly appendix. For background, consult material on Coffin's life and on nineteenth-century American juvenile literature to aid understanding of the text.

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About the author

Charles Carleton Coffin Author · American · 1823–1896

Charles Carleton Coffin (1823–1896) was an American journalist, war correspondent and writer, born in Boscawen, New Hampshire. During the American Civil War he reported on major battles for the Boston Daily Journal, and after the war he turned to writing; six of his works are included in this collection. His representative works range from firsthand battlefield accounts such as My Days and Nights on the Battle-Field and Following the Flag to historical reading for young readers such as The Boys of '61. His writing combines eyewitness reporting with historical narrative in plain, accessible language, carrying both the immediacy of journalism and an educational purpose for general readers. Public information is limited, so no further biographical details are conjectured.