The Bequest

William Wymark JacobsProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 20K 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.The Bequest 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

The Bequest is a short work by the English writer W. W. Jacobs, available as a public-domain eBook from Project Gutenberg. Jacobs was known for short stories marked by humor, irony, and a touch of suspense, often depicting ordinary people's awkward and comic reactions in unexpected situations. This book centers on the familiar motif of an inheritance and is suited to readers seeking an accessible entry into late Victorian to Edwardian English short fiction. The public-domain electronic edition can be opened at any time on a computer, tablet, or e-reader, and also works well as supplementary extensive reading for English literature courses. As you read, note how the author uses dialogue to drive the plot and plants twists within everyday scenes. Keep in mind that this is an English original whose language bears the marks of its era, with some expressions distant from contemporary English; readers may consult notes or reference works for comprehension. Overall, it is better suited as an introductory sample of Jacobs's narrative style than for readers seeking complex, full-length structures.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English readers seeking low-cost access to British public-domain short fiction
Casual readers interested in humorous, ironic stories of everyday life
Self-learners or students needing extensive reading material in English literature
Readers accustomed to reading public-domain books on electronic devices

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking long, complex plot-driven novels
Readers who need a Chinese translation and prefer not to read English originals
Readers with little patience for English usage from a century ago

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the plot, then revisit the dialogue for irony and foreshadowing.
Guess unfamiliar expressions from context first, and look them up after finishing the piece.
Read alongside other Jacobs stories to observe his habitual narrative techniques.
Use the e-book's search function to mark characters and key turns for easy review.

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 in Chinese or English?

This is an English public-domain eBook released by Project Gutenberg; the text is in English with no Chinese translation included. Readers need some English reading ability or should use a dictionary and translation tools for support.

The description lacks plot details—how can I judge whether it suits me?

Read the opening paragraphs first to gauge the language difficulty and narrative pace, then decide whether to continue. Jacobs's short stories are usually brief, so trial reading costs little and is a better guide to personal taste than relying on a summary.

What should I watch out for when reading a public-domain eBook?

Public-domain books come in various editions, with differing formatting and notes. Choose reading software with clear layout and adjustable font size, and check that the text is complete. For study purposes, have a dictionary tool ready.

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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.