Homeward Bound

William Wymark JacobsProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 23K words
Chapters: 3

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.Homeward Bound by W. W. JacobsAuthor: Jacobs, W. W. (William Wymark), 1863-1943,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jan 1, 2004

Editor's review

Homeward Bound is another public-domain short work by W. W. Jacobs, released as an English eBook by Project Gutenberg. Jacobs drew on ordinary people's everyday situations, using dialogue and detail for humor; his plots are simple but his endings are deftly turned. The book works as an introduction to the British comic short-story tradition and as something to dip into in spare moments. As an original-language eBook, it lets you adjust type size and annotate freely. Note that it dates from the early twentieth century, so some slang and settings may need checking; if you use it for extensive English reading, focus on plot and tone rather than word-by-word parsing. Overall it is a light, durable collection worth revisiting.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Short-story readers who enjoy British humor and light comedy
Office workers who want to read original English in spare moments
Readers interested in traditional themes such as seafaring and homecoming
Learners using original short stories for extensive English reading

Not a good fit for

Readers hoping for a full-length story and complex character arcs
Readers who rely entirely on Chinese and are unused to English originals
Readers seeking strong dramatic conflict or a modern narrative pace

Reading tips

Read one story a day and sum up plot and humor in a sentence or two to practice summarizing.
Mark unusual slang and skip it, then look it up after finishing the story so the rhythm isn't broken.
Read dialogue passages aloud to feel how Jacobs uses tone and pauses for humor.
Retell the story aloud afterward to check whether you caught the key to the twist.

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 suitable for English beginners?

Not for complete beginners. The original dates from an earlier era and contains slang and old-fashioned expressions that can frustrate beginners. It suits readers with intermediate English who can follow the gist with a dictionary; beginners might start with a simplified or bilingual edition first.

What should I keep in mind when reading the eBook?

Public-domain eBooks vary in formatting, so paragraphing or punctuation may be inconsistent. Use a reader that supports adjustable type and bookmarks, and prioritize understanding the meaning over format issues.

What will I get out of reading it?

Mainly a feel for how British comic short fiction works: how everyday dialogue sets things up and how a light turn at the end lands the joke. You can also pick up colloquial expressions. It offers no grand themes or deep social analysis; its value lies in being easy to read and a model of technique.

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.