Odd Man Out

William Wymark JacobsProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 21K 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.Odd Man Out 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

Odd Man Out is a short work by the English writer W. W. Jacobs, available in Project Gutenberg's free ebook library. Jacobs is known for humorous short stories and tales of the strange, and this piece continues his light narrative style, centering on a figure out of step with his surroundings. It is compact and can be read in one sitting in spare moments. As a public-domain electronic text, its value lies in giving readers low-cost access to late Victorian to Edwardian English short fiction and letting them observe how the author uses concise dialogue and everyday scenes to create dramatic tension. While reading, note the narrative rhythm and the handling of dialogue, which help in learning the structure of English short stories and understanding details of social life at the time. It suits extensive reading as an introduction to English literature, and also serves as supplementary reading for readers already familiar with Jacobs's style. The electronic edition is free of copyright barriers and convenient for close reading against the original.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who want to practice extensive English reading with short stories in fragmented time
Literature lovers interested in late Victorian English short stories
English teachers who need free public-domain texts as classroom supplements
Readers who enjoy light humor and sketches of everyday characters

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting long, complex plots or grand narratives
English beginners who need detailed notes and introductions
Readers who prefer contemporary subjects and modern narrative techniques

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the plot, then go back to see how the dialogue drives the conflict.
Note unfamiliar old-fashioned expressions and look them up together to build a feel for English short fiction.
Read it alongside other Jacobs short stories to see similarities and differences in his narrative patterns.
Read it in twenty minutes on a commute or before bed, then write three sentences summarizing the character's situation.

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 learning English?

It can serve as extensive reading material. The text is public-domain English, with short sentences and plenty of dialogue, suitable for readers who already have basic reading ability. But the work is from an early period, and some expressions and words are distant from modern English; reading with a dictionary is advised, and it is not suitable as absolute-beginner material.

Do I need to know the author's other works first?

No. This is a standalone short story that can be read directly. If you like the narrative style afterward, seek out other Jacobs collections and read them alongside to better appreciate his habitual humor and turns.

Is there any difference between the electronic and print editions?

This entry corresponds to the free electronic text released by Project Gutenberg, a public-domain work. The electronic edition is convenient for searching and copying the original text, but usually lacks a publisher's notes, introduction, or textual scholarship, so readers need to supply background knowledge themselves.

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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.