Dearest Enemy

Holden, Fox B., 1923-Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 33K words
Chapters: 4

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.Dearest Enemy by Fox B. HoldenAuthor: Holden, Fox B., 1923-,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: May 22, 2019

Editor's review

Dearest Enemy is a novel by Fox B. Holden, released as a free ebook via Project Gutenberg and classified under American and Canadian literature. From the available information, it is a short narrative work, suitable as a sample for understanding mid-20th-century American popular fiction. As a public-domain ebook, its value lies in accessibility and openness of the text: readers can encounter at low cost an English novel rarely discussed in the Chinese-speaking world and observe the narrative pacing, character setup, and language style of the period. While reading, note how the work handles the tension between "enemy" and "intimacy"; the relational reversal suggested by the title is a key clue to understanding the book. Given limited information, it is not recommended to approach it with grand literary-historical expectations; it is better as light practice in reading an English original, or as a supplementary title in a topic course on American popular literature. Read the opening chapters first to judge whether the narrative style suits your taste, then decide whether to read closely or extensively.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers who want to try English originals and prefer short to medium-length novels
Enthusiasts interested in mid-20th-century American popular literature
Language learners needing light English reading material
Literature instructors who may use it as a selected reading in popular fiction

Not a good fit for

Readers who want a Chinese translation and prefer not to face the English original
Serious researchers seeking in-depth literary analysis and canonical status
Readers who prefer long, complex narratives and find short to medium-length works unsatisfying

Reading tips

Read the first two chapters to get a feel for the narrative pace and language difficulty, then decide how to read
Take reading notes on the relationship between "enemy" and "intimacy" in the title, tracking changes in characters' attitudes
Use as English extensive reading material, retelling the plot in two or three sentences after each chapter
If used for a course, pair with excerpts from contemporaneous American popular fiction for comparative 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 there a Chinese translation of this book?

According to available information, the book exists as an English ebook released by Project Gutenberg, with no mention of a Chinese translation. The English original is currently the most readily available version. If English reading is difficult, use dictionaries and translation tools for support first, then gradually move to independent reading.

Is the book long, and is it suitable for beginning English reading?

The available information indicates it is a short narrative work in a popular style, suitable as introductory or extensive reading material for English originals. Try reading the opening first; if the density of unfamiliar words is acceptable, read one chapter a day and briefly retell it, which maintains momentum and builds language sense.

How should the title "Dearest Enemy" be understood?

The title literally means "dearest enemy," suggesting the story may center on intimacy or complex feelings arising within a hostile relationship. While reading, note the pull between characters' positions and emotions; the title is often a clue to the book's theme, but specific plot details should be based on the text, and one should not over-infer from the title alone.

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About the author

Holden, Fox B., 1923- Author

Fox B. Holden (born 1923) is an English-language science fiction author about whom little public information is available. Five of his works are held in this collection: A Gift For Terra, The Women-Stealers of Thrayx, Dearest Enemy, Task Mission, and A Matter of Order. Judging from these titles and the usual context of science fiction publishing, his writing tends to center on alien contact, adventures on other worlds, mission operations, and conflicts over order, reflecting the character of short fiction in mid-twentieth-century English-language science fiction magazines: direct premises, tight plotting, and narratives often driven by a single mission or confrontation, with the adventure framework raising questions about friend and foe between humans and alien others. Because public records of his life and working background are limited, his nationality, education, and full career cannot be stated with certainty, and the value of his work lies mainly in the reading and study of science fiction genre history.