Heart

Slesar, Henry, 1927-2002Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.1

Word count: 30K 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.Heart by Henry SlesarAuthor: Slesar, Henry, 1927-2002,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jan 7, 2010

Editor's review

"Heart" is a short work by Henry Slesar (1927–2002), released as an English-language eBook through Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg, the earliest platform to offer free electronic books, was founded by Michael Hart in 1971; its open-sharing ethos allows works like this to reach readers worldwide at little cost. Slesar is known for short-form narrative, and this piece is concise enough to read in one sitting—on a commute or a lunch break—making it a handy entry point for getting a feel for twentieth-century American short fiction. Read it as light literary browsing: first for the narrative rhythm, then for how character psychology and the plot turn are handled. Because the text is in the original English and background material is limited, it is not recommended as the sole basis for systematic literary study; it works better as supplementary reading for interest and English extensive reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers who want to read English short stories in spare moments
Literature enthusiasts curious about twentieth-century American short-form narrative style
Students needing light English extensive-reading material
Readers interested in public-domain eBooks from Project Gutenberg

Not a good fit for

Beginner English readers who need a Chinese translation or bilingual edition
Readers expecting a long, plot-heavy work with complex world-building
Academic readers needing systematic research material on the author's life and works

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the plot, then reread for how character psychology and the ending's turn are set up.
Keep a short list of unfamiliar words and look them up after finishing, so the reading rhythm isn't interrupted.
Read alongside other American short stories of the same period to sense differences in narrative density.

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 in Chinese or English?

According to the Project Gutenberg record, the book is in English and falls under American and Canadian literature. Readers need some English reading ability; no official Chinese translation is indicated by available information.

What is Project Gutenberg?

Project Gutenberg is the earliest platform offering free electronic books, founded by Michael Hart in 1971 with the idea of spreading public-domain books widely in electronic form. This book is released through that platform, and readers can obtain the electronic text free of charge.

Is it short enough to read in one sitting?

Judging by the short-form genre and the eBook release format, it is fairly concise and suitable for reading in one sitting during a commute or lunch break. If you want to study the narrative technique closely, a second reading helps.

Comments

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About the author

Slesar, Henry, 1927-2002 Author

Henry Slesar (1927-2002) was an American writer best known for his short science fiction and suspense stories. Reliable public information about his life is limited, and readers in China know relatively little about him. Eight of his works are included in this collection: My Father, the Cat, Brainchild, The Delegate from Venus, The Stuff, The Success Machine, Reluctant Genius, Heart and Dream Town, most of them short or novella-length pieces. These stories often use science-fictional premises while blending suspense and satire; their plots move briskly and end with striking twists, and they use everyday situations to expose human weaknesses and the absurdities of a technological society. Their subjects range from family relationships and mistaken identity to alien visitors and machine intelligence, reflecting a sharp eye for the anxieties of modern life. Slesar's tightly structured, ingeniously conceived short stories have been enjoyed by genre readers and have had some influence on later science fiction and suspense writing.