Mermaid

Overton, Grant M. (Grant Martin), 1887-1930Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.6

Word count: 393K words
Chapters: 40

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.Mermaid by Grant M. OvertonAuthor: Overton, Grant M. (Grant Martin), 1887-1930,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jul 18, 2018

Editor's review

Mermaid is a novel by Grant M. Overton, included in Project Gutenberg's American and Canadian literature category. Overton was both a writer and a critic, and his style often shows keen observation of human affairs. Titled "Mermaid," the work readily evokes the sea, illusion, and desire as metaphors, but readers must enter the text themselves to discover the actual plot. A public-domain e-book, it preserves the language of early twentieth-century American fiction, whose narrative rhythm and diction differ markedly from contemporary works. Read it as a kind of literary archaeology: notice the period tone in dialogue and watch how the author uses the title image to organize the plot. It is not long, suited to reading in installments on a commute or before bed, and to readers interested in early American popular fiction for textual and edition comparisons. Note that no synopsis is provided, so readers should not enter with fixed expectations.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers interested in early twentieth-century American fiction
Readers who enjoy studying public-domain e-books and textual editions
Those who want to sample early American popular fiction in short sittings
Readers with good English who are willing to accept an old-fashioned style

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a modern fantasy or fairy-tale mermaid story
Beginners needing a Chinese translation or detailed guide
Genre-fiction readers who prefer strong plots and fast pacing

Reading tips

Read the first two or three chapters to get used to the author's rhythm and period diction before deciding your pace.
Keep a pen handy to note character relationships and key images, helping you follow the plot.
If the language feels distant, read another American novel of the same period as a reference, then return to this book.
After finishing, look up Overton's background as a critic to understand his perspective and period context.

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 a fairy-tale mermaid story?

Not simply. The available information shows only that it is an American literary work; the title "Mermaid" may point to an image or metaphor, and the content must be judged from the text. Don't enter expecting a fairy tale; read it as early American fiction.

What English level does it require?

The text is early twentieth-century English, with sentence patterns and vocabulary older than contemporary works. University-level reading ability is advisable, along with a dictionary for uncommon expressions. Beginners should slow down and aim first for the general sense.

Why is there no synopsis?

Project Gutenberg catalog entries usually give only author, language, category, and release date, without plot summaries. Readers can sample the opening chapters to learn the style and content before deciding whether to read it all.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Overton, Grant M. (Grant Martin), 1887-1930 Author

Grant M. Overton (1887–1930) was an American author and literary editor. Public information about his life is quite limited, and his birth and death dates and main career can be confirmed only from scattered records. Two of his works are held in this collection: When Winter Comes to Main Street and Mermaid. Judging from the titles and the available material, his writing tends to center on urban life and everyday subjects, in a plain style that emphasizes readability and bears the flavor of early twentieth-century American popular literature. Though these two works are not widely known, they offer a small window onto the reading tastes and publishing scene of the United States at that time. Given the limited sources, a fuller picture of his output and literary standing awaits more complete bibliographies and archival material.