The Man Outside

Evelyn E. SmithProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 38K words
Chapters: 4

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 Man Outside by Evelyn E. SmithAuthor: Smith, Evelyn E., 1922-2000,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Mar 1, 2016

Editor's review

Evelyn E. Smith's The Man Outside is an English-language short science fiction work available as a public-domain eBook from Project Gutenberg. The author was active in the American pulp science fiction magazine era of the mid-twentieth century, and her work often features witty dialogue and unexpected premises. This story centers on the man outside the door; it is short and tightly paced, making it a good sample for understanding the style of Golden Age science fiction shorts. The value of the public-domain electronic edition lies in being free and easy to obtain, convenient for classroom discussion and close reading; however, the edition itself contains no modern introduction or author chronology, so readers who want a deeper understanding of its historical context will need to supplement it with background on the history of American science fiction magazines. Overall, this is a short story suited to reading in spare moments and also suitable as introductory science fiction or English extensive reading material, rather than a hefty novel.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English readers at intermediate level or above who want to use short science fiction for extensive reading practice
Science fiction fans interested in mid-twentieth-century American short science fiction
English classes or book clubs that need a short, discussable text
Readers who read during commutes or in spare moments and prefer single, self-contained stories

Not a good fit for

Hard science fiction readers expecting a long-form world and complex setting
English beginners who cannot yet read original short stories smoothly
Academic readers seeking detailed annotations and author research materials

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the plot, then revisit the foreshadowing and twists in the dialogue
Note vocabulary and period expressions to build familiarity with common phrasing in short science fiction
After reading, compare with American science fiction shorts of the same period and discuss similarities and differences in theme
Read key passages aloud to appreciate the rhythm and humor of the characters' dialogue

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 novel a full-length work or a short story?

Judging from how it is presented by Project Gutenberg, this is an English-language short work; it is fairly short and can be read in one sitting or over several, and it is not of novel length.

Can I understand it without a background in science fiction?

You can try. The work is short and the plot is focused, with moderate language difficulty. It is advisable to first learn about the basic style of mid-twentieth-century American popular science fiction, and while reading, pay attention to the character dialogue and the ending twist.

Is there a Chinese edition or annotated edition of this book?

The materials provided so far only show the English public-domain electronic text from Project Gutenberg and do not mention a Chinese translation or annotated edition. Readers can look for relevant translations or research materials to aid understanding.

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About the author

Evelyn E. Smith Author · American · 1922–2000

Evelyn E. Smith (1922–2000) was an American writer of science fiction and mystery fiction, born in New York, who also worked as a crossword puzzle constructor. In the 1950s she published numerous short science fiction stories in magazines such as Galaxy Science Fiction and Fantastic Universe. Her representative works include "The Blue Tower," "The Venus Trap" and "The Doorway," along with "The Most Sentimental Man," "Collector's Item," "The Princess and the Physicist" and "The Man Outside"; seventeen of her works are held in this collection. Her short stories often treat alien contact, gender relations and consumer society with wit and humour, showing neat plotting and a satirical edge. Under the pen name Delphine C. Lyons she also wrote Gothic romances and the "Miss Melville" mystery series. Public information about her life is limited, and discussion of her work focuses mainly on these magazine stories and her genre fiction.