Reader discussion: The Man Without a Country

Public reader discussion about The Man Without a Country in the WeRead Catalog by Edward Everett Hale.

Books that you read in school

By WinterLanternFalcon

I’m 25F and went to a private school, so I didn’t really get the whole “read the classics in high school” experience. We only did one Shakespeare play (Julius Caesar), plus Animal Farm, and we spent a lot of time on Poe… and that’s kind of it. I can’t believe we never read To Kill a Mockingbird either, so now I feel like I’m totally behind 😅 We also covered Our Town and 12 Angry Men. What else am I supposed to have read by now? I’d really like to catch up on the “required” stuff. Also, does anyone know where I could watch or listen to a lecture about literature?

Short stories that are historical fiction?

By DraftTrail

Hey everyone—I'm working on an app where people can find and keep up with short stories, and I’m trying to collect some good recommendations. I’m especially looking for short story collections or anthologies that are historical fiction. Novellas are fine too. Any suggestions?

Does anyone know anything about a plot against the American Revolution by someone who wanted to found a different country here?

By MidnightEclipse7

Kinda a TOMT question, but it’s history-related so I figured I’d ask here first. I remember reading something about a plot during the American Revolution, but I can’t remember the details at all. I think it involved someone in the colonies with some kind of authority—maybe a politician?—who wasn’t trying to stop independence, but more like they thought their own plan for a country was better than what the Founding Fathers were going for, and they wanted to set it up before “our” country even got going. I’m about 99% sure it wasn’t the Hickey Plot, and I don’t think there was any assassination or anything like that. Does something like this actually exist, or am I mixing things up?

The Man Without a Country by Edward Hale [Classics](1863)

By canyonIsland933880

I just went through “The Man without a Country,” and it felt like one of those short stories that sticks with you. It follows Lieutenant Philip Nolan, who ends up getting mixed up with Aaron Burr back in 1807, and then during his treason trial he basically shuts down and says he doesn’t want to hear anything about the United States ever again. The judge keeps trying to get him to take it back, but Nolan won’t, so after that he spends the rest of his life serving on Navy ships all over the world, and they’re not even allowed to mention the U.S. It also came out right in the middle of the Civil War (1863), and I guess it was meant to help the Union get more people on their side. And then I noticed it’s tied to Edward Everett Hale’s uncle, Edward Everett, who gave that long speech at Gettysburg right before Lincoln’s shorter one that people still talk about all the time. The whole thing with Everett praising Lincoln right after is kind of wild to read. Overall it was a quiet, calm read, but it still lets the story do the talking.