The Constable's Move

William Wymark JacobsProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 23K 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 Constable's Move by W. W. JacobsAuthor: Jacobs, W. W. (William Wymark), 1863-1943,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Feb 1, 2004

Editor's review

The Constable's Move is also by Jacobs and continues in his humorous short-story vein, turning on the sparring between a policeman and ordinary townspeople, with a light plot and dialogue full of distinctively British wit. Through a small incident it shows the cleverness and embarrassment of ordinary people facing authority, an easy read that still lingers. The short-story structure is clean, with clear setup, development, turn, and resolution; it works as a sample of Jacobs's narrative technique and as a model for English learners observing colloquial dialogue. There is no need to look for deep meaning as you read; simply enjoy the pace and the characters' reactions. If you care to think a step further, you will also see the author's gentle teasing of human nature and social manners.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Casual readers who enjoy light, witty short stories
English learners who want to study British dialogue and humorous expression
Readers interested in small-town stories about the police
Writing students looking for short-story models

Not a good fit for

Crime-fiction readers who want tight, rigorous mystery plotting
Readers who prefer deep social themes and serious literary analysis
Beginners who need extensive annotation to read English originals

Reading tips

Read it once for the rhythm, then a second time noting the tone and subtext in the dialogue.
Treat the story as spoken-language material and choose two or three lines of dialogue to read aloud in imitation.
After reading, try rewriting the ending and compare your version with the original.
If time is short, read it once and treat it as light reading on the commute.

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 the story about police investigations?

The title involves a policeman, but the work is closer to small-town humorous short fiction; the focus is not on solving a case but on the sparring and reactions between characters. Readers expecting hard-core deduction should adjust their expectations.

Is it suitable for practicing spoken English?

Fairly suitable. The story has a good deal of dialogue with lively tones; you can choose passages to read aloud or retell, which helps you feel the rhythm and politeness strategies of spoken English, though some expressions are dated.

Do I need to know the author's background first?

No. The story stands alone and can be understood without knowing the author's life. If his style interests you afterward, you can go on to read other short stories.

Comments

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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.