Devereux — Complete
Public-domain ebook
Devereux — Complete
Language: en1,012 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
In: Historical Fiction·Novels·British Literature
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #7630.
About this book
The work is a self‑conscious romance presented as an autobiographical memoir, written by Edward Bulwer‑Lytton in his early youth and revised in 1852. In his introductory letter the author explains that he has left the youthful “boyish extravagances” of diction and plot untouched, while pruning “episodical and irrelevant passages” and lightening the style. He frames the narrative as the life of Morton Devereux, a figure who moves through the last century of British history, encountering such personalities as Bolingbroke, Louis XIV, and the Regent Orleans. The opening therefore promises a blend of historical sketch and personal reflection, with an emphasis on the inner motives of its protagonist rather than the dramatic spectacle of a conventional novel.
Lytton’s voice is unmistakably Victorian, marked by elaborate, philosophical asides and a reflective, almost confessional tone. The prose is dense, rich in moral speculation, and frequently addresses the reader directly about the limits of language and imagination. Readers who enjoy a measured, essay‑like narrative that intertwines history, ethics, and a contemplative hero will find this book rewarding, while those seeking fast‑moving plot or simple romance may prefer a more straightforward story.
Characters in Devereux — Complete
- Morton DevereuxYoung English gentleman, dark curls, high-collared coat, waistcoat, tricorn hat, dignified posture
- Algernon MordauntThoughtful youth, shoulder-length hair, scholarly spectacles, frock coat, ink-stained cuffs, contemplative gaze
- BolingbrokeLordly aristocrat, powdered wig, embroidered frock coat, silk cravat, aristocratic bearing
The opening · free to read
EDWARD BULWER LYTTON (Lord Lytton)
ADVERTISEMENT TO THE PRESENT EDITION.
IN this edition of a work composed in early youth, I have not attempted to remove those faults of construction which may be sufficiently apparent in the plot, but which could not indeed be thoroughly rectified without re-writing the whole work. I can only hope that with the defects of inexperience may be found some of the merits of frank and artless enthusiasm. I have, however, lightened the narrative of certain episodical and irrelevant passages, and relieved the general style of some boyish extravagances of diction. At the time this work was written I was deeply engaged in the study of metaphysics and ethics, and out of that study grew the character of Algernon Mordaunt. He is represented as a type of the Heroism of Christian Philosophy,--a union of love and knowledge placed in the midst of sorrow, and labouring on through the pilgrimage of life, strong in the fortitude that comes from belief in Heaven.
KNEBWORTH, May 3, 1852.
E. B. L.
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