A Reversion To Type

Bacon, Josephine Daskam, 1876-1961Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 32K words
Chapters: 4

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 Reversion To Type by Josephine Daskam BaconAuthor: Bacon, Josephine Daskam, 1876-1961,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Nov 6, 2007

Editor's review

This work is part of the Project Gutenberg collection and is a novella or short story by Josephine Daskam Bacon. Bacon was active in American literary circles in the early twentieth century, and her writing often observes social identity, gender roles, and human habit with a delicate touch; the title "A Reversion To Type" itself suggests an exploration of the tension between character and environmental pressure. As a public-domain ebook, its value lies first in accessibility: readers can read the original text of a woman author easily overlooked by mainstream literary history at no cost, making it suitable as research material for American popular literature and periodical writing from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century. The text is short, its language bears the marks of its era, and the narrative pace is rather unhurried, making it suitable for reading in segments during a commute or before bed. If placed back in the context of magazine serialization of the time, readers can note the class consciousness and family values revealed in the characters' dialogue. It should be noted that this book is the English original, and the Project Gutenberg edition primarily restores the historical text without modern annotations, so first-time readers may need a dictionary.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literature students studying American women's writing from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century
Upper-intermediate and advanced English learners who wish to read public-domain English originals for free
Readers of fiction interested in the theme of conflict between character and environment
English teachers who need short texts for close reading in class

Not a good fit for

General readers hoping for a Chinese translation; this book is the English original
Fans of genre fiction who prefer strong plots and fast-paced narratives
Beginner English readers who need detailed annotations and background introductions

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the plot, then read again to mark hints of identity in the characters' dialogue.
After each section, summarize changes in the characters' motivations in two or three sentences to track the theme of "reversion."
When encountering unfamiliar period expressions, note them down without looking them up, and check them together after finishing a chapter to reduce interruptions.
Read alongside short stories by American women writers of the same period to observe similarities and differences in subject matter and style.

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 in Chinese or English?

This book is the English original, published by Project Gutenberg, and the author is Josephine Daskam Bacon. There is no Chinese translation or annotation in the book, so it is suitable for readers with some English reading ability to read the original directly; having a dictionary on hand is recommended.

Why does the Project Gutenberg introduction talk about the platform itself?

The entry introduction for Project Gutenberg mainly explains the platform background and text metadata, such as author, language, classification number, and release date; it does not summarize the story. Readers need to open the main text to learn the plot themselves, which is also a common way public-domain ebooks are presented.

Is this book suitable for English beginners?

Not very suitable. The text dates from the early twentieth century, its sentence patterns and word choices bear period features, and there are no modern annotations or vocabulary lists. Readers at intermediate level or above who are used to reading originals will find it smoother; beginners can first use retold editions or bilingual readers as a transition.

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About the author

Bacon, Josephine Daskam, 1876-1961 Author

Josephine Daskam Bacon (1876–1961) was an American writer whose life and creative background are only sparsely documented in publicly available sources. The library holds thirteen of her works, showing a considerable range of subjects across fiction, children's stories, and social narratives with a mysterious streak. Books such as In the Border Country and While Caroline Was Growing reveal her interest in childhood and growing up, while The Strange Cases of Dr. Stanchon displays psychological and suspenseful elements. The Courting of Lady Jane, A Philanthropist, and Julia The Apostate focus largely on marriage, social class, and women's circumstances, often with gentle irony and careful observation of character. Her style favors drama in everyday settings and uses dialogue to shape her figures. She was an active author in American popular literary circles from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century, and her work retains value for rereading and study.