The Tinder-Box

Maria Thompson DaviessProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 275K words
Chapters: 28

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 Tinder-Box by Maria Thompson DaviessAuthor: Daviess, Maria Thompson, 1872-1924,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Feb 1, 2005

Editor's review

The Tinder-Box is an English-language novel by American author Maria Thompson Daviess, released free of charge by Project Gutenberg. Daviess was active in the early twentieth century; her works mostly depict life in the American South and small towns, with a light touch and a gift for arranging dialogue and misunderstanding in everyday scenes. The title borrows a fairy-tale image, but the available materials do not establish the specific plot, so it is best read as a public-domain novel to explore on one's own: its value lies in presenting the language style, social atmosphere, and narrative appeal of popular American fiction of that period, and it is practically useful both for studying genre fiction and for practicing English reading. The electronic edition has no modern introduction or notes, so readers must work out the character relationships and historical background themselves. It is advisable to read the first few chapters straight through to grasp the narrative rhythm and the characters' positions before deciding whether to read closely or casually. It suits as light reading for lovers of English literature and as material for public-domain text editing and edition comparison, but one should not expect profound thematic interpretation or detailed scholarly guidance.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Lovers of English literature who want to read early twentieth-century American popular fiction
English reading learners who need public-domain texts with a strong plot
Readers studying fiction set in the American South or small towns
Editors and researchers engaged in public-domain e-book editing and edition comparison

Not a good fit for

Readers who need a Chinese translation or detailed notes
Serious-literature readers expecting profound social critique and complex structure
Casual readers who prefer contemporary fast-paced suspense or strong plotting

Reading tips

Read the first few chapters to clarify character relationships, then proceed chapter by chapter to avoid losing the thread.
Mark period expressions as you go and look them up together after finishing a chapter, to keep reading smooth.
Compare with the author's other works or contemporary American novels to appreciate the popular narrative style.
For English study, after each chapter retell the plot and character motives in two or three sentences.

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 language is this book in, and how difficult is it?

This is an English-language novel belonging to early twentieth-century American popular literature. The language is generally plain, though it includes period expressions and social-scene descriptions; it is fairly suitable for intermediate English readers.

Is the title related to the fairy tale The Tinderbox?

The title The Tinder-Box shares a name with the fairy-tale image, but the available publication materials do not confirm any plot connection. It is best read as an independent novel without assuming a correspondence to the fairy tale.

Does this electronic edition have an introduction or notes?

According to the provided materials, this is a public-domain e-book released by Project Gutenberg, with no mention of a modern introduction, notes, or translation. Readers need to supplement author and historical background information themselves.

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About the author

Maria Thompson Daviess Author · American · 1872–1924

Maria Thompson Daviess (1872–1924) was an American novelist, painter, and suffragist. She was born in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, in 1872 and died in New York in 1924. From 1909 onward she published a number of optimistic novels, among which The Melting of Molly is her best-known work; titles such as Phyllis, Rose of Old Harpeth, and Blue-grass and Broadway generally depict Southern life and human relationships in a light, cheerful tone. Beyond writing, she helped found the Nashville Equal Suffrage League and took an active part in the campaign for women's right to vote. Twelve of her works are held in this collection, though common classification information is currently unavailable and public sources are limited, so further biographical detail cannot be given. Her fiction and her suffrage work together reflect the participation of American women in literature and public affairs in the early twentieth century.