The Understudy

William Wymark JacobsProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 19K words
Chapters: 2

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 Understudy by W. W. JacobsAuthor: Jacobs, W. W. (William Wymark), 1863-1943,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Apr 1, 2004

Editor's review

The Understudy is a short work by the English writer W. W. Jacobs, included in the Project Gutenberg public-domain e-book series. Jacobs is known for ingeniously constructed short stories with unexpected endings, often entering through everyday scenes and driving the plot through character and coincidence, so they read lightly yet reward reflection. This book is short and suitable as introductory material for reading English short stories, and also for readers who want to understand late 19th- to early 20th-century British short narrative style. As a public-domain e-book, it is easy to obtain and can be read on electronic devices at any time. While reading, notice the humor and irony in the characters' dialogue and how the ending handles the plot twist; for English study, use the context to accumulate everyday expressions and narrative vocabulary. Overall, this is a short work suitable for reading in fragments, combining interest with language-learning value.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who like English short stories and want light reading
Literature lovers who want to understand British short narrative style
Learners who hope to practice English reading with short materials
Readers who prefer short works they can finish in fragments of time

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer long, complex plots and grand narratives
Beginners who need a Chinese translation or bilingual edition
Readers unaccustomed to the language style of old public-domain works

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the plot, then revisit the foreshadowing and setup at the ending's twist
Mark unfamiliar everyday expressions while reading and accumulate narrative and dialogue vocabulary
After reading, try to retell the story in two or three sentences to check your understanding of the plot and character relationships

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 suitable for English beginners?

The work is a public-domain English short story, and its language leans toward the narrative style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries; sentence patterns and word choice pose some difficulty for readers with no foundation. It is better suited to readers with some English reading ability who want to try original short fiction; beginners can use a dictionary first or choose a bilingual edition to assist reading.

How long does it take to read this book?

This is a short work; readers with some English reading ability can usually finish it in half an hour to an hour. If used for intensive reading and language study, the time will be longer, and it can be completed in two or three sessions.

Why is it recommended to pay attention to the ending's twist?

Jacobs's short stories often conclude with unexpected endings, and the dialogue and details earlier in the text often plant seeds for the ending. Noticing this setup helps you better appreciate the author's skill in organizing plot and also enhances the pleasure and reward of reading.

Comments

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About the author

William Wymark Jacobs Author · British · 1863–1943

William Wymark Jacobs (1863–1943) was a British short-story writer, born in London in 1863 and died there in 1943. In his early years he lived around the Thames docks and was familiar with the lives of sailors and dockworkers, which led him to write a great many humorous sea stories, often in a light and witty tone. His best-known work, The Monkey's Paw, is a classic horror short story included in The Lady of the Barge (1902); noted for its tight suspense and sudden twists, it is still widely anthologized in horror collections. The library holds 109 of his works, including The Lady of the Barge and Others, Ship's Company, A Tiger's Skin, Captains All, and Night Watches; his common category is inspirational growth. Public information is limited and details of his life are largely unavailable, yet his fiction is distinctive in subject, blending humor with horror, and has had a lasting influence on later short-story writing.