The Deserter, and Other Stories: A Book of Two Wars

Frederic, Harold, 1856-1898Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.7

Word count: 336K words
Chapters: 34

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 Deserter, and Other Stories: A Book of Two Wars by Harold FredericAuthor: Frederic, Harold, 1856-1898,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Nov 28, 2013

Editor's review

This short story collection comes from the late nineteenth-century American writer Harold Frederic. Set against two wars, it focuses on the choices people make in extreme circumstances and the price they pay. The title story, "The Deserter," and the other tales do not glorify military exploits; instead they dwell on the tension among military discipline, fear, loyalty, and shame, letting readers see the psychological stirrings of ordinary soldiers and civilians caught in the machinery of war. Frederic's storytelling is realistic and restrained in pace, with dialogue that carries the flavor of its era. It suits readers who want to understand the tradition of American war-themed short fiction without committing to a long military novel. As a public-domain ebook, it is easy to read in segments during a commute or before bed, since each story stands on its own. One caveat: the text is in English and dates from the late nineteenth century, so some attitudes and expressions bear clear marks of their time; readers should approach it with historical context in mind rather than expecting contemporary war literature.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy late nineteenth-century American literature and want to broaden their short fiction reading
Readers interested in depictions of human nature and psychology in war fiction
Learners who need English public-domain texts for extensive reading or classroom supplements
Commuters who prefer short pieces they can read in segments

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting modern battle scenes and fast-paced narrative
Readers who struggle with English and need a Chinese translation alongside
Readers sensitive to nineteenth-century values and modes of expression

Reading tips

Start with the title story, "The Deserter," then pick other stories as interest dictates; no fixed order is needed.
After each story, jot down in two or three sentences the choice the characters face and its consequences, to help link the themes.
Skim passages of period-heavy commentary and focus on characters' actions and psychological shifts.
For English extensive reading, try one story a day and look up only a few unfamiliar words.

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 collection?

It is a short story collection. The stories are relatively independent, all set against two wars, and can be read individually rather than all at once.

How difficult is the English?

The text dates from the late nineteenth century, so its sentence patterns and vocabulary carry period features. It is literary narrative overall, not a simplified reader. Readers with some English foundation can read it extensively with a dictionary; beginners are advised to use a translation or notes.

Is it suitable for learning about the history of war?

It leans more toward literary psychological and ethical depiction than systematic military history. For battle backgrounds you would need other historical sources; it works better as a literary text for observing individuals' situations in war.

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About the author

Frederic, Harold, 1856-1898 Author

Harold Frederic (1856–1898) was an American novelist and journalist. Publicly available information is limited, so his biographical details are not elaborated here. The library holds fifteen of his works, including novels and short story collections, with representative titles such as The Damnation of Theron Ware, The Deserter, and Other Stories, The Copperhead, Marsena, and Other Stories of the Wartime, In the Valley, The Return of the O'Mahony, Seth's Brother's Wife, and The Market-Place. His fiction often draws on American social life and wartime experience around the Civil War, and also engages with urban life in New York. His writing is realistic, attentive to character psychology and moral dilemmas, tightly structured, and frequently uses irony and detached observation to reveal human complexity and the impact of social change. His work holds a place in late nineteenth-century American realism and offers readers insight into the society and wartime memory of his era.