| Author |
Clarke, Marcus Andrew Hislop, 1846-1881 |
| Title |
For the Term of His Natural Life
|
| Note |
Reading ease score: 81.4 (6th grade). Easy to read.
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| Credits |
Produced by Col Choat, and David Widger
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| Summary |
"For the Term of His Natural Life" by Marcus Andrew Hislop Clarke is a historical novel written in the late 19th century that explores the grim realities of convict transportation in Australia. The story centers around Rufus Dawes, a convict unjustly sentenced to endure a harrowing life of punishment and degradation during his transportation, illuminating the brutalities of the penal system and the human capacity for both cruelty and resilience. The opening of the novel introduces a tragic domestic conflict involving Sir Richard Devine, his wife Lady Ellinor, and their son Richard, whose return from abroad unravels dark family secrets. As the tension escalates following a shocking revelation, Richard is thrown into a situation where he encounters the dying form of Lord Bellasis, his estranged grandfather, leading to fatal misunderstandings and Richard's wrongful arrest. This gripping beginning sets the stage for an exploration of themes such as guilt, identity, and the harsh conditions endured by convicts, while establishing Dawes as a figure shaped by larger societal injustices as he begins his own grim journey aboard the convict ship, Malabar. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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| Language |
English |
| LoC Class |
PR: Language and Literatures: English literature
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| Subject |
Historical fiction
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| Subject |
Australia -- Fiction
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| Subject |
Prisoners -- Fiction
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| Subject |
Penal colonies -- Australia -- Fiction
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| Subject |
Penal transportation -- Fiction
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| Category |
Text |
| EBook-No. |
3424 |
| Release Date |
Sep 1, 2002 |
| Most Recently Updated |
Feb 26, 2021 |
| Copyright Status |
Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads |
473 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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