The Odds

Dell, Ethel M. (Ethel May), 1881-1939Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 496K words
Chapters: 50

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 Odds by Ethel M. DellAuthor: Dell, Ethel M. (Ethel May), 1881-1939,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 28, 2005

Editor's review

The Odds is a work by the English author Ethel M. Dell and belongs to the tradition of early twentieth-century English popular fiction. Dell was known for her portrayals of emotional and fateful entanglements, and this book likewise revolves around choices, chance, and emotional tension between characters; the title "odds" itself hints at the delicate relationship between contingency and success or failure. As a public-domain eBook from Project Gutenberg, its readability rests on plot momentum and psychological characterization, and its language bears the distinctive mark of popular English fiction of that era. For Chinese readers, the value of reading this book lies in understanding the tastes and narrative conventions of the early twentieth-century British popular reading market, and it can also serve as a light choice for English literature enthusiasts seeking to broaden their reading. One caveat: public-domain electronic texts usually lack modern annotations, and some expressions are distant from contemporary English, so readers should be patient and need not scrutinize every word. For readers interested in the formulas of early English romance fiction, this work offers a period-flavored sample.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English-speaking readers interested in early twentieth-century British popular fiction
Literature enthusiasts curious about the formulas of early English romance narrative
People with basic English reading ability looking for public-domain eBooks
Readers who enjoy stories of emotional entanglement and turns of fate

Not a good fit for

Beginners whose English reading is not yet proficient and who need a Chinese parallel text
Readers seeking modern narrative pacing and novel settings
Readers hoping for scholarly annotations and author research materials

Reading tips

First skim the chapter titles and opening to judge whether the narrative pace suits your taste.
When encountering unfamiliar expressions, don't stop; grasp the plot direction first and revisit the details later.
Compare with other early twentieth-century English popular fiction to observe shared narrative features.
After reading, briefly note the character relationships and key turning points for easy review.

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 is the language and edition of this book?

The information shows that this is an English-language eBook released by Project Gutenberg, in English, and is a public-domain free text. It is not a Chinese translation and comes with no modern scholarly annotations, so readers need their own English reading ability.

What kind of writer is Ethel M. Dell?

The information gives only the author's birth and death years and a classification of the work, with no detailed biography. What can be confirmed is that this book is classified under PR, i.e. English language and literature, placing it in the category of early twentieth-century English literature, and that the author was known for writing popular emotional fiction.

What level of English is needed to read this book?

The text is early twentieth-century English, with sentence structures and wording that differ somewhat from contemporary English. Intermediate or higher English reading ability is recommended, with a dictionary to help with long sentences; if you have little reading experience, try one chapter first before deciding whether to continue.

Is this book suitable as material for literary research?

As a public-domain popular fiction text, it can serve as supplementary material for understanding early twentieth-century British popular literary tastes. But this electronic edition lacks annotations and background introduction, so for formal research you will need to look separately for the author's biography, publication history, and critical materials.

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About the author

Dell, Ethel M. (Ethel May), 1881-1939 Author

Ethel M. Dell (1881–1939) was an early twentieth-century British writer of popular fiction, known for romance and adventure stories with eventful plots. Her novels often place love entanglements against exotic or wild settings, with characters moving the narrative forward through misunderstandings, danger and emotional trials; the pace is brisk, with the dramatic quality typical of popular reading of the period. Sixteen of her works are held in this collection, including The Way of an Eagle, The Knave of Diamonds, The Obstacle Race, The Lamp in the Desert, Charles Rex and the short-story collection Rosa Mundi and Other Stories, showing that she wrote mainly novels and also some shorter fiction. Public information about the details of her life is limited, and this entry makes no inferences about them; readers may learn about her thematic interests and narrative style through the works listed above.