The Flood

AnonymousProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.5

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 Flood by AnonymousAuthor: Anonymous,Language: English, Class: BS: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Christianity: The Bible, Old and New Testament, Release Date: Feb 1, 2004

Editor's review

This work, titled The Flood, appears anonymously in Project Gutenberg and is classified under Bible and Christian studies. It is short and serves as an introductory text for understanding the narrative form of the flood story. Its value lies not in academic annotation or historical verification, but in presenting a raw text for direct reading, letting readers encounter the religious narrative around the flood theme itself. For readers used to modern annotated editions, this small book offers a return to simplicity: no introductory exposition, no footnote interruptions, only the text itself. It suits slow reading in a quiet setting, and also works well read alongside the relevant biblical chapters to observe differences in narrative rhythm and wording. Lacking author information and background explanation, readers must supply context themselves, so it is better suited to those with some experience reading religious texts than to complete beginners. As a public-domain ebook, it is easy to search and excerpt, and can serve as writing material or a supplementary text for classroom discussion.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers interested in biblical narrative and the Flood story
Religious literature enthusiasts who need a public-domain English text for comparative reading
Teachers collecting Flood-themed texts for classroom discussion
English learners who wish to engage with religious narrative in the original

Not a good fit for

Rigorous researchers expecting scholarly annotation and historical criticism
Beginners needing a systematic theology introduction or exegetical guidance
Casual readers who prefer modern paraphrases

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the narrative outline, then compare it with the relevant chapters of Genesis.
Keep pen and paper handy to note recurring images and wording, and observe shifts in the text's rhythm.
If English reading is difficult, read a Chinese translation first and then return to the English original to lower the barrier.
After finishing, check the classification information on the Project Gutenberg page to fill in the text's background.

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 a scholarly research work?

No. It is a public-domain text hosted by Project Gutenberg and classified under the Bible and Christianity; it presents the Flood narrative itself, with no scholarly introduction, notes, or textual criticism. It is suitable as primary reading material rather than as a research monograph.

Why is the author listed as Anonymous?

The metadata gives the author as Anonymous, indicating that the text is unsigned or that the attribution is no longer traceable. This does not affect reading, but it means readers cannot rely on the author's biography to understand the text and must depend more on internal evidence and relevant background knowledge.

Can someone with average English read it?

The text is not long, but it is in older religious English, and some wording is distant from modern usage. It is advisable to read a Chinese translation first to become familiar with the content and then read the English original alongside it, or to work through it paragraph by paragraph with a dictionary; do not aim for speed.

Comments

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About the author

Anonymous Author

Anonymous is a collective designation used in English-language publishing for works whose authorship is unknown or unsigned, rather than the real name of a single author. The 716 titles attributed to this name include the Gospel of John, Psalms, Romans, Luke, Philippians, and 1 Corinthians from the World English Bible, as well as the Gospel of John and Psalms from the King James Version. Such texts are mainly religious classics and ancient folk traditions that were copied, translated, and compiled over long periods, making their original authors difficult to trace; they therefore circulated anonymously. Public information is limited, and neither nationality nor dates of birth and death can be confirmed. The significance of anonymity lies in focusing attention on the works themselves rather than on authorial identity, and in reminding readers of the collective and variable nature of texts in transmission.