Felony

Causey, James, 1924-2003Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.6

Word count: 18K words
Chapters: 2

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.Felony by James CauseyAuthor: Causey, James, 1924-2003,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Apr 8, 2010

Editor's review

Felony is a short work by James Causey, included in Project Gutenberg and classified under American literature. Causey was active in the mid-twentieth century, and his work appeared regularly in pulp fiction magazines; this piece continues the tight narrative style typical of genre fiction of that period. As a public-domain ebook, its value lies in offering readers a convenient entry point into the脉络 of American popular literature: it is short and direct in language, suitable for reading in fragmented time. Note that this edition was compiled and released by Project Gutenberg; the text has been proofread, but no modern introduction or notes are included, so readers must situate the work in its historical context themselves. If you approach it as a kind of literary archaeology, interested in the feel and conventions of mid-twentieth-century American genre writing, this book is a good sample; if you expect deep character portrayal or complex structure, adjust your expectations. Reading it alongside other contemporaneous Project Gutenberg titles is recommended for a better sense of the rhythm and pleasures of popular literary production at the time.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in mid-twentieth-century American popular literature
Readers who want to use fragmented time to read short English originals
Students studying public-domain ebooks and the circulation of genre literature
Beginners who want low-cost access to English-language original fiction

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting long, complex narratives and deep character development
Learners who need modern annotations and introductions to aid understanding
Beginners unfamiliar with mid-twentieth-century English usage

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the plot, then revisit dialogue and scene descriptions to appreciate the rhythm of genre writing.
Jot down unfamiliar period expressions as you read, and look them up afterward.
Read alongside contemporaneous American short works from Project Gutenberg to compare themes and conventions.

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 novel or a short work?

Based on the Project Gutenberg record, Felony is relatively short, closer to a short story or novella, suitable for reading in one sitting or a few. Exact page count varies with ebook formatting; rely on your reader's display.

What English level is needed to read this book?

The original is in English, in a style characteristic of mid-twentieth-century popular fiction: sentences are not long, but period expressions may appear. Readers with roughly CET-4 reading ability who are willing to look up words should manage; for smoother reading, try the opening paragraphs first before deciding.

Does this edition include annotations or an introduction?

According to the Project Gutenberg record, this edition primarily presents the public-domain original text; no modern introduction or annotations are mentioned. Readers needing background can consult materials on James Causey and mid-twentieth-century American popular literature.

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About the author

Causey, James, 1924-2003 Author

James Causey (1924–2003) was an American writer of science fiction and popular fiction who remains little known to Chinese readers, and publicly available information about him is limited. Five of his works are held in the collection: Competition, Teething Ring, Exploiter's End, Inhibition and Felony. Judging from these titles and their genre characteristics, his writing often revolves around tense themes such as competition, control and transgression, and he was skilled at using the short-story form to create suspense and a reflective atmosphere, earning a place in the mid-twentieth-century science fiction magazine landscape. His works are concise and briskly paced, often using the shell of genre fiction to explore the boundaries of human nature and order, and thus retain reading value for fans of the field and offer useful samples for studying popular science fiction writing of that period.