Simon the Jester

Locke, William John, 1863-1930Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 547K words
Chapters: 55

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.Simon the Jester by William John LockeAuthor: Locke, William John, 1863-1930,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Apr 13, 2006

Editor's review

Simon the Jester is a novel by the British writer William John Locke, belonging to the narrative tradition he excelled in, blending light satire with sentimental humor. The "jester" in the title is not literal; it points to the protagonist's situation as he moves through social circles with a jesting manner, wavering between mockery and genuine feeling. Locke's pacing is brisk and his dialogue witty, and his characters often have an endearing touch of self-mockery, making the book an easy read that nonetheless shows insight into human nature. As a public-domain ebook, it serves as a sample of early 20th-century British popular fiction and is also suitable for reading in segments on a commute or before bed. Note that the text is in the original English and carries a distinct period context; some social customs and expressions require background knowledge to understand.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy British humor and light satire, suitable for leisure reading
Readers interested in early 20th-century British popular literature who want to expand their reading list
English learners needing a public-domain English novel for extensive reading or language practice

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer strong plots, suspense, or fast-paced narrative
Readers who want a Chinese translation and are unwilling to tackle the English original
Readers impatient with century-old social customs and understated humor

Reading tips

Read extensively at a pace of one or two chapters a day, following the dialogue and characters' reactions to appreciate the humor.
Mark unfamiliar social expressions and look them up after finishing a chapter rather than interrupting the reading.
After reading, write a short character commentary tracing the protagonist's true motives beneath the "jester" mask.

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 a comedy or a sentimental novel?

Both. Locke's works often create comic effects through light, witty dialogue, yet the characters' situations also carry a undertone of sentiment and self-mockery. There is no need to assign it to a single genre; paying attention to the psychology behind the jokes lets you better appreciate how the author handles human affairs within popular narrative.

How difficult is the English? Is it suitable for English learners?

Overall it is moderately easy literary English, with short sentences and dense dialogue, suitable for extensive reading by learners with some foundation. But the book preserves early 20th-century habits of expression and social usage, and some words and phrases are uncommon today. Focus on understanding plot and tone rather than looking up every word; record key expressions as you go.

Does the public-domain ebook edition have notes or an introduction?

The Project Gutenberg edition mainly provides the original text and usually has no modern editor's notes or introduction. Readers can pair it with background material on the author and era, or read a chapter first to get a feel for the style before deciding whether to go deeper. For course reading, it is advisable to consult an edition with an introduction as well.

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About the author

Locke, William John, 1863-1930 Author

William John Locke (1863–1930) was a British novelist, with 23 of his works held in this collection. His representative works include The Belovéd Vagabond, The Mountebank, The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol, Septimus, The Rough Road, The White Dove, The Morals of Marcus Ordeyne: a Novel, and Jaffery. Public information about his life is limited, so this entry offers only a brief account based on the works in the collection and the clues they provide. Judging from these titles and the character of the works, Locke's novels are largely character-centered, with brisk plots that often carry a romantic and humorous tone, blending vagabondage, adventure, and social observation, and creating many vividly drawn figures whose fortunes rise and fall. His works found a readership in the early twentieth century, and some were adapted for the stage and screen, leaving a mark on popular literature and general reading.