An Ocean Tramp

William Morley Punshon McFeeProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 308K words
Chapters: 31

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.An Ocean Tramp by William McFeeAuthor: McFee, William, 1881-1966,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Dec 11, 2009

Editor's review

McFee's An Ocean Tramp is an English novel set against a backdrop of life at sea. The author himself had seafaring experience, so ships' operations, the daily routines of deck and engine room, and the interactions among crew members are all rendered concretely and credibly. The story revolves around a freighter's voyage; its pace is not driven by dramatic events but relies instead on atmosphere, characters' states of mind, and details of maritime life. Its appeal lies in its faithful depiction of the early twentieth-century merchant marine world and in that maritime texture poised between adventure and everyday routine. For readers who enjoy maritime subjects and are interested in shipping and crew life, this is a solid read; it can also serve as a sample for understanding English maritime fiction of the period. One caveat: the narrative is slow, with more elaboration of characters and environment than plot twists, so readers expecting a strong story may find it flat. It is best read slowly, with attention on scenes and details.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy maritime subjects and depictions of seafaring life
Those interested in early twentieth-century merchant ships, shipping, and crew routines
Readers of fiction who can accept a slow pace and a focus on atmosphere and detail
Literature lovers who want to understand the English maritime novel tradition and are willing to read English originals

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking strong plots, fast pacing, and dense twists
Those completely unfamiliar with nautical terminology and shipboard life who are unwilling to look things up
Readers with limited English reading experience who want light entertainment

Reading tips

Read the first few chapters to become familiar with the shipboard environment and character relationships before moving on to the later voyage.
When encountering nautical and ship terminology, you can skip it for now and grasp the scene from context; there is no need to look up every word.
Reading with a map or imagined route helps build a sense of space.
Read one or two chapters at a time and leave intervals to absorb the atmosphere and details; avoid rushing through it in one sitting.

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 story is this book?

According to the materials, this is McFee's English novel An Ocean Tramp, set against a background of seafaring and crew life. It leans more toward atmosphere and everyday detail than toward a plot-driven novel propelled by dense events; for specifics, refer to the original book.

Did the author himself have seafaring experience? Is the writing credible?

The materials only identify the author as William McFee, with his birth and death years and work information; they do not provide details of his experience. Without inventing premises, the only suggestion is that readers judge by the original book's descriptions and decide for themselves whether its portrayal of life at sea is concrete and credible.

Is the English original difficult to read?

The work is an early twentieth-century English novel with detailed narration and possibly specialized nautical and maritime vocabulary. Readers with intermediate English reading experience can make their way with a dictionary and context, but those seeking easy reading may need to prepare for slow reading.

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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.