With Moore at Corunna

Henty, G. A. (George Alfred), 1832-1902Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 723K words
Chapters: 73

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. With Moore at Corunna by G. A. Henty. Author: Henty, G. A. (George Alfred), 1832-1902, Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Aug 1, 2005

Editor's review

Henty's historical adventure novels are known for placing a young protagonist within the setting of real campaigns, and this book uses Moore's military operations at Corunna as its stage, interweaving the experiences of a fictional boy with the actual course of the war. Readers do not get a sandbox overview of the whole campaign but instead experience the daily routines of marching, supply, retreat, and combat through the eyes of a young soldier, with historical information woven naturally into the plot. The English is relatively plain and the sentence structures are not complex, making it suitable as intermediate reading material in English while also giving readers a vivid sense of a specific episode of the Peninsular War. It should be noted that works of this kind bear clear marks of their era, and both the narrative stance and the romanticized treatment of war should be read with a critical eye. Overall, it is better read as a historical adventure story than as a serious work of military history.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Young readers who enjoy historical adventure and want to read English originals
History enthusiasts interested in the Napoleonic Wars and the Peninsular War
Learners who need plain, full-length English material for reading practice
Readers who want to understand the style of Victorian historical fiction for young readers

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking rigorous military history research and source analysis
Readers sensitive to the era's biases in war narratives
Adult readers who prefer modern, fast-paced plots with strong conflict

Reading tips

Before reading, look up the basic background of the Battle of Corunna to enter the story's context more quickly.
Read the young protagonist's experiences alongside the timeline of the real campaign, distinguishing fiction from historical fact.
Mark unfamiliar ranks and place names briefly and look them up after finishing the chapter, so as not to interrupt the reading flow.

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?

The original is in English and the language is generally plain, but it involves military ranks, place names, and nineteenth-century expressions, so complete beginners will find it difficult. It is better suited to learners with intermediate reading ability who can persevere with a long text using a dictionary, as advanced material rather than an introductory reader.

Is the historical content in the book accurate?

The work is set against a real campaign, but it is essentially a historical adventure novel for young readers, with fictional elements in plot and characters and a narrative stance marked by the author's era. It is best treated as an introductory read for the atmosphere of the campaign, with historical details checked against works of military history.

Do I need to know about the Napoleonic Wars before reading this book?

Not strictly, but knowing the basic outline of the Peninsular War will significantly lower the barrier to reading. At minimum, knowing the general background of British forces fighting the French in the Iberian Peninsula and the relevant campaigns of General Moore will make the marching and retreat in the plot easier to understand.

Comments

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About the author

Henty, G. A. (George Alfred), 1832-1902 Author

George Alfred Henty (1832–1902) was a well-known British writer of historical adventure novels for young readers in the nineteenth century. The collection here contains 107 of his works, most of them drawn from major historical events in Europe and the Americas: By Right of Conquest is set during Cortez's conquest of Mexico, Under Wellington's Command takes the Peninsular War as its background, and For the Temple deals with the fall of Jerusalem. He typically placed a young hero at the centre of real historical scenes, weaving military campaigns and political struggles together with personal adventure. The plots are tightly paced and rich in detail, and they reflect a distinctly British outlook and the moral tastes of the Victorian age. His output was considerable, and his books had a lasting influence on later historical adventure fiction. Public information about his family, education and career is limited, so no speculation is offered here.