Buttered Side Down: Stories

Ferber, Edna, 1885-1968Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 251K words
Chapters: 26

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.Buttered Side Down: Stories by Edna FerberAuthor: Ferber, Edna, 1885-1968,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Nov 1, 1995

Editor's review

Buttered Side Down: Stories is a short story collection by Edna Ferber. The title draws on the everyday experience of "the buttered side down," suggesting those moments in life when things go wrong and fall flat. Ferber's stories often begin with ordinary people, everyday occupations, and daily predicaments, using crisp dialogue and mildly ironic humor to present her characters' situations; they read lightly but are not shallow. Compared with her novels, these stories suit reading in segments: each stands alone and is manageable in length, finishable on a commute or before bed, yet leaving a little aftertaste. As a free Project Gutenberg ebook, it is also a convenient entry point for getting to know Ferber's early short-story style. While reading, notice how she uses a small object, a line of dialogue, or a misunderstanding to drive an entire story, and the sympathy for ordinary people's situations behind the humor. Some period background and slang may feel slightly remote to contemporary readers, but the characters' reactions to life's small setbacks still resonate.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy short stories and read in fragmented time
Those interested in early twentieth-century American city life and stories of ordinary people
Readers who want to understand Edna Ferber's short-story style
Intermediate English learners who need light reading material in the original English

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer strong plots and long continuous narratives
Readers expecting grand social critique or deep psychological analysis
Readers completely unfamiliar with early American slang and period background who are unwilling to look things up

Reading tips

Read one or two stories a day, pause after each, and recall the "buttered side down" moment in the story.
Keep a sheet of paper to note the core object or misunderstanding in each story, then compare Ferber's entry points after reading.
Choose the story with the most dialogue and read it aloud to feel the characters' tone and the rhythm of the humor.
If using it for English study, start with the shorter stories, then gradually challenge longer ones.

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 does the title "Buttered Side Down" mean?

It comes from a common Western saying: when a slice of buttered bread falls to the floor, it tends to land buttered side down. The title uses this everyday experience as a metaphor for bad luck and things going wrong. Ferber's stories mostly depict ordinary people's reactions to small setbacks, and the title sets the tone for the whole collection: a little helpless, and a little humorous.

Do these stories have a continuous plot?

No. Each story is relatively independent, and the characters and plots do not require reading in order. Readers can start with any story in the table of contents or plan their reading by length. This structure suits fragmented reading time; a break of several days will not leave you unable to follow the previous text.

What English level is this suitable for?

Overall it is mainly everyday narration and character dialogue; the sentences are not very difficult, but it contains early twentieth-century American colloquialisms and some slang. Readers with intermediate reading ability who are willing to look things up can finish it. It is advisable to try one story first; if you can follow the main plot and unfamiliar words do not hinder understanding, you can keep reading.

Does this edition have notes or an introduction?

This is a public-domain ebook provided by Project Gutenberg, usually mainly the original text, without the detailed notes or academic introduction of a modern publisher's edition. If readers need background information, they can look up a brief account of Ferber's life or the development of the American short story. When encountering period expressions while reading, it is best to infer from context first and then look them up systematically.

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About the author

Ferber, Edna, 1885-1968 Author

Edna Ferber (1885–1968) was an American writer. Public information about her life and education is limited, but the eleven works held in this collection show the main outlines of her writing. Her work combines a light, humorous tone of urban life with close observation of ordinary people's circumstances. Representative titles such as One Basket, Cheerful—By Request, Half Portions and Buttered Side Down: Stories are mostly short stories and sketches that present warmth and irony in everyday life. Her Emma McChesney series, including Roast Beef, Medium, Emma McChesney and Co. and Personality Plus, follows a woman making her way in business and her family, and was notably fresh for its time. Overall, her writing is brisk and her characters vivid, leaving a lively record of early twentieth-century American popular literature.