His Other Self

William Wymark JacobsProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

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.His Other Self by W. W. JacobsAuthor: Jacobs, W. W. (William Wymark), 1863-1943,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Apr 1, 2004

Editor's review

His Other Self is another W. W. Jacobs title released by Project Gutenberg as a free ebook. Jacobs's short stories often revolve around misunderstandings, coincidences, and mistaken identity in ordinary people's lives, with a light tone and endings that tend to take an unexpected turn. The English original is short, making it suitable for a single brief reading session and convenient for observing how the author builds suspense and resolves the plot within a limited space. As a public-domain resource, it comes without an introduction or notes; the barrier to reading lies mainly in the language rather than the depth of content. It suits reading in short snatches or as supplementary material for extensive English reading. Readers expecting complex character development or a long-form structure may find it thin, but those who want to enjoy the ingenuity and humor of a classic short story will find it a handy choice.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who want to fit an English short story into spare moments
Literary readers interested in mistaken identity and twist endings
Learners who need light public-domain English material for extensive reading practice
Short-story fans who enjoy a humorous, satirical tone

Not a good fit for

English beginners who need Chinese translation or detailed notes
Readers expecting novel-length character growth and complex structure
Readers looking for academic interpretation or author research materials

Reading tips

Read it straight through first to feel the ending's twist, then go back to the earlier foreshadowing.
Note unfamiliar expressions, then look them up and make sentences after finishing.
Try retelling the story in two or three sentences to check whether you have grasped the core conflict.
If the author's style interests you, find another of his short stories for comparison.

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

About how long is this work?

It is a short story, and the English original is brief enough to finish in one short reading session. The exact page count varies with the font size setting on your e-reader; it is best to read by paragraph or section rather than forcing it all at once.

How do I read it without Chinese notes?

Read through first for the gist, infer unfamiliar words from context, and check the dictionary after finishing a whole passage. You can also use reading software with word-lookup translation, but avoid word-by-word translation, which would spoil the rhythm and twist of a short story.

Is this book consistent with the author's other works?

Judging by the common features of Jacobs's short stories, this book also leans toward misunderstandings and twists in everyday situations, with a light, humorous tone. Since the materials do not provide more detailed plot information, it is best treated as a sample of the author's short-story style rather than a full representation.

Is it suitable as English learning material?

It can serve as extensive reading material for intermediate learners, useful for building vocabulary and absorbing narrative feel. But it lacks exercises and notes, so it is not suitable as a systematic textbook. It works better with note-taking and retelling practice.

Comments

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About the author

William Wymark Jacobs Author · British · 1863–1943

William Wymark Jacobs (1863–1943) was a British short-story writer, born in London in 1863 and died there in 1943. In his early years he lived around the Thames docks and was familiar with the lives of sailors and dockworkers, which led him to write a great many humorous sea stories, often in a light and witty tone. His best-known work, The Monkey's Paw, is a classic horror short story included in The Lady of the Barge (1902); noted for its tight suspense and sudden twists, it is still widely anthologized in horror collections. The library holds 109 of his works, including The Lady of the Barge and Others, Ship's Company, A Tiger's Skin, Captains All, and Night Watches; his common category is inspirational growth. Public information is limited and details of his life are largely unavailable, yet his fiction is distinctive in subject, blending humor with horror, and has had a lasting influence on later short-story writing.