The Extra Day

Blackwood, Algernon, 1869-1951Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 545K 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.The Extra Day by Algernon BlackwoodAuthor: Blackwood, Algernon, 1869-1951,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jun 1, 2004

Editor's review

The Extra Day is a novel by Algernon Blackwood, released as a public-domain eBook by Project Gutenberg. Blackwood is known for supernatural and mystical fiction, and this work continues his interest in the blurred boundary between the everyday and the anomalous: the story begins in ordinary domestic settings and gradually introduces events with a fantastical and psychologically suspenseful coloring. The pace is slow, emphasizing atmosphere and suggestion rather than strong plot momentum. Its value for readers lies in experiencing the restrained, densely woven narrative texture of early English fantasy literature, making it suitable for those who enjoy close reading of environmental description and shifts in character psychology. As a public-domain electronic text, it includes no modern introduction or annotations, so readers must adapt on their own to early twentieth-century English usage. It suits sustained reading in a quiet setting, or use as supplementary material in a fantasy literature course discussing the theme of "the supernatural in the everyday."

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy early English fantasy and supernatural fiction
Researchers studying Blackwood's work who need the public-domain original text
Literary readers who prefer slow-paced, atmosphere-driven narrative
Students in English literature courses doing selected readings on fantasy themes

Not a good fit for

Genre-fiction readers seeking fast pacing and strong plot conflict
Learners whose English reading is not yet proficient and who need annotated support
Readers who want a fully annotated edition or a paper edition with an introduction

Reading tips

Choose a quiet time and read several chapters in succession, letting the atmospheric buildup accumulate.
Keep pen and paper handy to note character relationships and temporal clues, making it easier to follow the narrative.
After finishing, revisit the ordinary domestic scenes at the opening to appreciate the hints and contrasts the author planted.

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

What kind of novel is this?

It belongs to the fantasy and supernatural fiction for which Blackwood is known, with a psychological-suspense coloring. The story unfolds from everyday scenes and gradually introduces anomalous events; the overall pace is slow, valuing atmosphere and suggestion rather than dense plot conflict.

How difficult is the English?

The text is early twentieth-century English, with sentence patterns and diction denser than contemporary popular fiction, and some descriptive passages are long. Readers at university English reading level can finish it with a dictionary, but if you rarely read long English sentences, try one or two chapters first before deciding to read it through.

Does the public-domain electronic edition have annotations and an introduction?

Public-domain eBooks from Project Gutenberg are primarily the text itself and usually contain no modern editor's annotations, introduction, or author chronology. Readers who want background information can look up Blackwood's life and creative context on their own, or read alongside relevant literary-history materials.

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About the author

Blackwood, Algernon, 1869-1951 Author

Algernon Blackwood was a British writer of horror and fantasy fiction, born in 1869 and died in 1951. Public information is limited, and the details of his life in the available records are incomplete. He is known for his weird fiction, which often centers on supernatural forces, ghosts, ancient forests, and unknown creatures, and he was skilled at creating gloomy, oppressive atmospheres full of psychological tension. His representative works include The Willows, The Man Whom the Trees Loved, The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories, The Wendigo, The Centaur, and the John Silence stories. His characters often struggle between reason and inexplicable fear, and nature is frequently invested with a mysterious will. His writing has had some influence on later horror literature, and 20 of his works are held in the collection.