Between Friends

Chambers, Robert W. (Robert William), 1865-1933Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 84K words
Chapters: 9

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.Between Friends by Robert W. ChambersAuthor: Chambers, Robert W. (Robert William), 1865-1933,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jul 1, 2005

Editor's review

This work is a public-domain electronic text in the American and Canadian literature category, by Robert W. Chambers. From the materials, it serves as an entry point for understanding this author's short-form narrative style and is also useful for studying the language and subjects of early twentieth-century American popular literature. The greatest advantage of the public-domain electronic edition is easy access, searchability, and excerptability, making it suitable for close reading or course supplementary material. You need not presuppose grand themes when reading; first take in the narrative rhythm, character relationships, and atmosphere, then look back at how the author handles turns in everyday scenes. Readers used to modern fast-paced narrative may need some adjustment, but those willing to read slowly can appreciate the pleasure of old-style short fiction's unfolding. Overall, this is a text suited to being opened at random and read in sections, and a lightweight choice for expanding literary interests.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in American short fiction who want to broaden their reading
Students and teachers studying Chambers's work or early twentieth-century popular literature
Readers who need a public-domain English text for course supplements or close reading
Casual readers who like reading in sections and dipping into short pieces

Not a good fit for

Readers who only read contemporary long novels and want strong plots and fast pacing
Beginners who need detailed annotations and a modern Chinese translation
Readers with little patience for old-style narrative unfolding

Reading tips

Read section by section; after each piece, pause and look back at how character relationships are established.
Keep brief notes on narrative perspective, scene transitions, and endings to compare the pieces.
Do not force yourself to finish in one sitting; treat the book as a collection to dip into.
If using it for a course, first close-read one or two pieces, then expand to others.

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 a short story collection or a novel?

The materials do not specify the exact table of contents or structure, only that it is a literary work by Chambers. Readers can first check the electronic edition's table of contents to confirm the genre and contents, then decide whether to read through or select pieces.

How difficult is the English?

This is a public-domain English text, and the language belongs to early twentieth-century literary expression, with sentence patterns and wording somewhat distant from modern English. Readers with basic English reading ability can proceed with a dictionary, or use it alongside a Chinese translation.

Is it suitable for classroom use?

It can serve as course supplementary material, especially for close reading of narrative perspective, scene description, or short-story structure. But if the course requires detailed annotations, it should still be used alongside a formal textbook or guide.

Why recommend the public-domain electronic edition?

The public-domain electronic edition is easy to access, search, and excerpt, suitable for self-study and course supplements. Readers can quickly locate passages and take notes and read in parallel without relying on a paper book.

Comments

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About the author

Chambers, Robert W. (Robert William), 1865-1933 Author

Robert W. Chambers (1865–1933) was an American novelist active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. His birth and death years and nationality are relatively clear in public sources, though detailed biographical information and educational background remain limited. He was a prolific writer, with 38 works held in the collection. He is best known for the short-story collection The King in Yellow, which blends weird, horror, and supernatural elements and became an important early work of weird fiction, exerting a certain influence on later horror and fantasy writing. Beyond weird fiction, his works also span romance, historical, and popular fiction, including Athalie, The Mystery of Choice, The Hidden Children, The Common Law, The Dark Star, In Search of the Unknown, and The Slayer of Souls, demonstrating a diversity of subjects and styles. Overall, his writing is notable for atmospheric construction and narrative tension, securing him a place in popular literature and the weird tradition.