A Night Out

Peple, Edward, 1869-1924Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 23K words
Chapters: 3

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.A Night Out by Edward PepleAuthor: Peple, Edward, 1869-1924,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Nov 1, 2005

Editor's review

A Night Out is a short play by the American playwright Edward Peple, available as a public-domain ebook. It is brief and tightly structured, suitable for reading in one sitting. Peple was known for writing popular stage plays, and this one revolves around "a night out," with light-comedy misunderstandings and character clashes; the scenes are concentrated and dialogue-driven, capturing the narrative appeal of early twentieth-century American commercial theater. As a play, its value lies not only in plot but in letting readers directly experience the stagecraft, character voices, and audience expectations of the time. For readers studying early American drama or looking for a light English play to practice with, this is a fitting entry point. As a public-domain original without annotations or production notes, readers must supply context beyond the stage directions themselves. Suited to theater lovers, English majors doing textual analysis, or anyone seeking short reading entertainment.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Theater lovers looking for light English plays to read
Students and researchers studying early twentieth-century American commercial theater
English learners needing short English dialogue material for reading practice
General readers who enjoy misunderstanding-driven light comedy

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting the detailed description and buildup of a novel
Those unfamiliar with play format and unwilling to adapt to dialogue form
Readers seeking modern annotations and production background

Reading tips

Read the whole play first to grasp the scenes and character relationships, then revisit key dialogue to see how misunderstandings drive the action.
Read the dialogue aloud to feel the rhythm and tone; this restores the stage effect better than silent reading.
After reading, outline the function of each scene and consider how the author creates conflict and humor within limited settings.
Look up the basic features of early twentieth-century American stage plays to help understand the play's period context.

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 kind of work is this?

It is a short play by Edward Peple, available as a public-domain English ebook. It advances the story through concentrated scenes and character dialogue, has a light-comedy flavor, and is short enough to read in one or several sittings.

Do I need to know about the author first?

Not necessarily, but it helps. Peple was an American playwright of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries whose works were written for the commercial stage of his day. Knowing this background makes it easier to appreciate the dialogue style, character setup, and audience expectations.

Does this ebook have annotations or an introduction?

No. It is a public-domain original from Project Gutenberg, in English, under the American literature category, with no modern editor's annotations, introduction, or production materials. Readers must supply background themselves or simply read it as a plain-text play.

Is it suitable for English practice?

Fairly suitable. The play is mostly dialogue, with generally short sentences and clear situations, making it easy to feel the tone by reading aloud. Some expressions are period-specific, however; look up unfamiliar usage rather than treating it as a modern spoken-English textbook.

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About the author

Peple, Edward, 1869-1924 Author · American · 1869–1924

Edward Peple (1869–1924) was an American playwright. Public information about his early life and education is limited; what can be confirmed is that he was active on the American commercial stage, writing several Broadway comedies and melodramas that won audiences over through tight stagecraft and accessible dramatic conflict. His representative works include A Night Out and The Littlest Rebel. The former is an urban comedy, while the latter is set against the American Civil War and tells a warm story centered on family and a child; it was later adapted into a film, allowing his plays to reach a wider audience. Peple's output was modest, but his works range from everyday humor to sentiment, showing his grasp of stage rhythm and popular taste.