Bye-Ways

Hichens, Robert, 1864-1950Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 427K words
Chapters: 43

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.Bye-Ways by Robert HichensAuthor: Hichens, Robert, 1864-1950,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 1, 2010

Editor's review

Robert Hichens was a British novelist. Bye-Ways is an English-language short story collection, released free of charge by Project Gutenberg. Judging by the author's characteristic interests, such stories tend to blend psychological observation with slightly exotic or mysterious narrative; the title "Bye-Ways" itself suggests "side paths, detours," likely pointing to subjects and predicaments that depart from the mainstream. As a public-domain electronic text, it has no modern introduction, so readers must enter its context on their own. Its value lies in presenting the diverse face of British short fiction from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, making it suitable for readers interested in English literature of that period who wish to broaden their reading range. Given the lack of detailed table-of-contents information, it is best treated as exploratory reading: sample one or two stories to see whether the style suits your taste, then decide whether to read it through.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in British short fiction from the late nineteenth to early twentieth century
English learners seeking to broaden their reading through public-domain English texts
Readers who enjoy psychological observation and slightly mysterious narrative
Researchers of Hichens's work who need the original text

Not a good fit for

Beginning readers who need modern annotations and introductions
Readers who prefer only fast-paced contemporary fiction
Those not yet proficient in English reading who need sentence-by-sentence translation support

Reading tips

Sample one or two stories first to judge whether the narrative pace and subject matter suit your taste.
While reading, note how the title "Bye-Ways" echoes the characters' situations in each story.
Jot down unfamiliar words and questions about the period background, and deal with them together after finishing a whole story.
If the author interests you, compare this with his better-known works to observe the differences between his short stories and longer fiction.

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 language is this book in?

The text is in English. It is an English-language short story collection, released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain electronic text. It is suitable for readers with some foundation in English to read the original directly.

Is there a Chinese translation or annotations?

According to available information, this edition is Project Gutenberg's public-domain English electronic text; no Chinese translation or modern annotations are mentioned. Readers who need support can look up relevant background materials or dictionaries on their own.

Is it suitable for English beginners?

Not very. The text is literary English from the early twentieth century, and its sentence patterns and vocabulary differ from contemporary everyday English. It is advisable to attempt it only with intermediate reading ability or above, or to approach it as extensive reading.

Do I need to read it in order?

The stories in the collection are relatively independent, so you need not read them straight through in order. You can first try a shorter piece or one whose opening draws you in, then decide whether to continue.

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About the author

Hichens, Robert, 1864-1950 Author

Robert Hichens (1864–1950) was a British novelist, with 28 of his works held in this collection. Public information about him is limited, and details of his life are difficult to verify, but his writings offer a sense of his literary range. His best-known novel, The Garden of Allah, is set against an exotic desert landscape and blends romance with religious reflection; The Green Carnation became known for its thinly veiled portrayal of Oscar Wilde and the aestheticist circle around him. He also wrote novels such as The Woman with the Fan, The Dweller on the Threshold, Bella Donna, The Figure in the Mirage and The Call of the Blood, as well as a travel book on the Near East, The Near East: Dalmatia, Greece and Constantinople. His work often draws on foreign settings, social manners and psychological suspense, with carefully developed plots that combine popular readability with the tastes of their time, earning him a place in early twentieth-century British popular fiction.