Aliens

William Morley Punshon McFeeProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 625K words
Chapters: 63

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. Aliens by William McFee. Author: McFee, William, 1881-1966. Language: English. Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature. Release Date: Feb 9, 2010

Editor's review

Aliens is an English literary work by William McFee (1881–1966), prepared as an electronic text by Project Gutenberg. McFee spent many years in seafaring and engineering work, and his writing often carries the undertone of the sea and of foreign experience; this work likewise takes the situation of the "outsider" as its entry point, presenting a character's observation and adjustment in an unfamiliar environment. The text is moderate in length, and its narrative has the rhythm of early twentieth-century English prose, making it a suitable entry point for understanding this author's shorter or novella-length work. Its value lies in its literary treatment of the outsider's perspective rather than in strongly dramatic plotting. Readers are advised to read it as a character sketch with a maritime atmosphere, attending to the narrator's subtle portrayal of cultural distance and belonging. Since the original material provides only the author and text-category information, specific plot details should be based on the main text, and excessive genre expectations should not be presumed.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in twentieth-century English literature and maritime themes
Readers wishing to encounter public-domain English works from Project Gutenberg
Intermediate to advanced English learners seeking short English texts for extensive reading practice
Literature enthusiasts studying McFee's creative style

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting strongly plotted, fast-paced genre fiction
Beginner English readers requiring a Chinese translation or detailed annotations
Readers seeking systematic research materials on the author's life and works

Reading tips

First read through once to grasp the narrative perspective, then revisit the details of interaction between the "outsider" and the local environment.
You may combine this with McFee's seafaring background, attending to the spatial descriptions and the character's manner of observation in the text.
The English text is not long and is suitable for reading in two or three sittings, noting one description related to identity or belonging after each reading.

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 Aliens a science fiction novel?

No. Here "Aliens" means outsiders or foreigners, not extraterrestrial beings. The work is an English literary work by William McFee, a Project Gutenberg public-domain book, and should not be approached as science fiction.

What level of English is needed to read this book?

The text is early twentieth-century English prose, with sentence patterns and diction of some literary quality; intermediate to advanced English reading ability is recommended. Beginner readers may need a dictionary or annotations, otherwise they may lose the thread in long sentences and detailed descriptions.

Is this book suitable as extensive reading material for a literature course?

It can serve as extensive reading material, especially suitable for discussing the outsider's perspective and narrative observation. However, the original material does not provide detailed plot or background, so teachers should read the full text before use to confirm its fit with the course theme, and then arrange discussion questions.

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About the author

William Morley Punshon McFee Author · English · 1881–1966

William Morley Punshon McFee (1881–1966) was a British novelist of the sea, born in London and died in Connecticut, USA. Trained as a marine engineer, he spent many years at sea and served in a British naval transport ship during the First World War. From 1924 he devoted himself to writing; four of his works are held in this collection, including An Ocean Tramp, Aliens, Captain Macedoine's Daughter and Command. His novels are mostly set against seafaring life and the experience of sailors, written in a realistic style and notable for their portrayal of seafarers' circumstances and inner lives. He also wrote book reviews for the New York Sun and the New York Times, and in later life became an American citizen. Public information on his early education and literary career is limited.