Sweet Tooth

Robert Franklin YoungProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 25K 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. Sweet Tooth by Robert F. Young. Author: Young, Robert F., 1915–1986. Language: English. Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature. Release Date: Jan 14, 2016

Editor's review

Robert F. Young's Sweet Tooth is a short science fiction story available as a public-domain eBook from Project Gutenberg. Young was active in science fiction magazines in the mid-twentieth century; his work often enters through a light premise, wrapping a mildly ironic science fiction idea in an everyday tone, and this story is no exception. The title itself carries a double meaning. As you read, notice what "sweet tooth" actually refers to in the plot, and you will find that the author keeps the science fiction premise very low-key, focusing instead on the characters' reactions and the neat turn of the ending. As a short story, its value lies not in grand world-building but in completing a clean conceptual twist within a limited space. It works as a change of pace for science fiction reading and as an example of how short science fiction was commonly written in the later Golden Age. The Gutenberg edition is freely available, short, and easy to finish, suitable for reading in one sitting during spare moments and then revisiting the aftertaste of the ending. One caveat: it is a product of its time, and some assumptions and gender descriptions reflect the habits of the period. Readers can approach it with a sense of genre history rather than judge it by contemporary standards.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy Golden Age short science fiction and want a quick complete read
Learners who need short English public-domain texts for extensive reading practice
Writing enthusiasts interested in short science fiction structure and small twist endings
Readers who want to finish a complete story in ten-odd minutes on a commute or before bed

Not a good fit for

Science fiction readers expecting a long novel's world-building and complex character arcs
Readers sensitive to the period attitudes in mid-twentieth-century work and unwilling to encounter them
Academic readers who need systematic author studies or a bibliography of works

Reading tips

Read it in one sitting without stopping; the ending twist depends on the continuity of reading.
After finishing, recall the double meaning of the title and decide which detail in the plot is the real foreshadowing.
For English extensive reading, read once for overall meaning first, then handle vocabulary and sentence patterns on the second pass.
Read it alongside other Golden Age short stories to observe how writers of the same era handled science fiction ideas.

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 novel or a short story?

It is a short science fiction story. The Gutenberg edition publishes it as a standalone electronic text; it is limited in length and usually can be read in one sitting, suitable for spare moments but not for readers expecting a novel-length unfolding.

What does the title Sweet Tooth refer to in the story?

The title carries a double meaning. Literally it means "sweets" or "a tooth for sweets," but in the story it points to something else. The specific reference is tied to the plot twist; it is best to read the text first and then reconsider the title, so as not to spoil the reading pleasure in advance.

Do I need a background in science fiction to read this?

No. The premise is light and the story is short, so the barrier to entry is low. But if you are familiar with common mid-twentieth-century short science fiction writing, you will more easily see the author's structural ingenuity and enjoy the comparison.

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About the author

Robert Franklin Young Author · American · 1915–1986

Robert Franklin Young was an American science fiction writer, born on June 8, 1915, in Silver Creek, New York, and died in the same place on June 22, 1986. He worked mainly in short fiction over a career spanning more than three decades, and his poetic, romantic style has often led critics to compare him with Ray Bradbury and Theodore Sturgeon. His representative works include The Girl in His Mind and Star Mother, and he received a Hugo Award nomination for Best Short Story in 1965. Six of his works are included in the collection, among them Star Mother, Sweet Tooth, Collector's Item, The Servant Problem, The Girl in His Mind, and A Knyght Ther Was, commonly classified under inspirational growth. Public information about the details of his life is limited, however, and existing accounts focus mainly on the themes and style of his work.