The Salamander

Owen McMahon JohnsonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 735K words
Chapters: 74

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 Salamander by Owen Johnson. Author: Johnson, Owen, 1878-1952. Language: English. Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature. Release Date: Jun 8, 2011

Editor's review

The Salamander is a novel by the American writer Owen Johnson, released as a free eBook by Project Gutenberg. Johnson was known in the early twentieth century for campus novels and stories of New York society, and this book likewise reflects his interest in observing fashionable people and their desires. The salamander in Western culture is often associated with fire, transformation, and cold-bloodedness; readers may watch how this image plays into the characters' fates. As a public-domain novel, it comes without a modern introduction or notes, so readers must sort out the characters and the period for themselves. Its value lies in offering a sample of early twentieth-century American popular long-form narrative: the plot advances through character and social circumstance, and the language carries the accent of its time. Suitable for readers willing to read slowly and interested in old New York society; if you are used to the tight pace of contemporary fiction, the first chapters may require a little patience.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in early twentieth-century American fiction and social life.
Readers who enjoy character-driven long-form narratives and are willing to read slowly.
Readers who need public-domain English eBooks for reading or language learning.
Literature enthusiasts curious about the works of Owen Johnson.

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer fast-paced contemporary fiction with strong suspense.
Beginners who need detailed historical notes and scholarly introductions.
Readers whose English is not yet proficient and who may struggle with period language.

Reading tips

Before starting, note the main characters' names and relationships; this helps in the early chapters, where many characters appear.
Watch for repeated appearances of the salamander image and treat it as a clue to the characters' transformations.
When you meet period language, don't look up every word; first grasp the tone of the dialogue and the characters' attitudes.
After finishing, look back at the opening chapters and compare them with the characters' later situations to appreciate the narrative groundwork.

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 The Salamander?

According to the available information, it is a novel by Owen Johnson, in English, classified under American and Canadian literature. It is an early twentieth-century American novel, with a narrative driven more by character and social circumstance.

Does the title "The Salamander" have a meaning?

In Western culture the salamander is often associated with fire and transformation, but the available information provides no explanation from the author himself. Readers can observe how this image echoes the characters' situations and changes of fate without assuming a single answer.

Does this edition have notes or an introduction?

Project Gutenberg editions usually provide only the public-domain text and generally do not include modern scholarly notes, introductions, or background chronologies. To learn about the period, consult relevant historical sources separately.

Is this book difficult for someone with average English?

The book is in early twentieth-century English, with sentence patterns and usages that differ from contemporary English, but overall it belongs to the popular-novel register. Readers with average English can read it chapter by chapter with a dictionary and need not aim for word-by-word intensive reading from the start.

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About the author

Owen McMahon Johnson Author · American · 1878–1952

Owen Johnson (1878–1952) was an American novelist and short-story writer, born in New York, the son of the poet Robert Underwood Johnson. A Yale graduate, he became known for the "Dink Stover" series set at the Lawrenceville School and Yale, including The Varmint, Skippy Bedelle, and Stover at Yale, as well as works such as The Salamander and Making Money. His fiction often draws on school and campus life and youthful coming-of-age, written in a light, humorous vein with an eye for social reality; some works also touch on historical and mystery themes, such as In the Name of Liberty and Murder in Any Degree. He served as a war correspondent during World War I and died in Massachusetts in 1952.