This Is the End

Stella BensonProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 235K words
Chapters: 24

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. This Is the End by Stella Benson. Author: Benson, Stella, 1892-1933. Language: English. Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature. Release Date: Feb 1, 2004

Editor's review

This Is the End is a work by the British writer Stella Benson, released free by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain English-literary eBook. Benson was active in the early twentieth century; her writing is often witty and satirical, and she excelled at presenting her characters' predicaments and social observations within light, deft narratives. The book is short and serves well as an introduction to her style, as well as for readers interested in women's writing in early twentieth-century English literature. While reading, pay attention to the narrator's tone and the irony in the characters' dialogue—these are key to appreciating the work's interest. Given limited materials, one should not over-infer plot and theme; rely on the actual text and treat it as a short English piece that can be read quickly and revisited.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in early twentieth-century English literature
English-language readers who want to encounter a woman writer's work in a shorter format
Literature lovers who enjoy satirical tone and light, deft narrative

Not a good fit for

Readers who prefer grand plots or strong dramatic conflict
Beginners who need a Chinese translation or detailed annotations to read

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the characters and narrative direction, then revisit the irony and tone in the dialogue
Note shifts in narrative perspective as you read, and observe how the author handles serious subjects in a light tone
After finishing, look up Benson's life and literary background to help understand the work's historical context

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?

Not really. It is early twentieth-century English literature, and its language and historical background require some reading foundation. Readers with college-level English who are willing to look up background information will find it easier to enter; beginners may start with simplified editions or supplementary materials.

Do I need to know the author's life before reading?

Not strictly, but knowing that Stella Benson was active in the early twentieth century and wrote in a witty, satirical style helps with grasping the narrative tone. You can read the main text first, then supplement with background on the author and the period.

Is the electronic edition free?

Yes. The electronic edition is released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain text and is freely available to read. Project Gutenberg was founded by Michael Hart in 1971 and is the earliest free eBook project.

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About the author

Stella Benson Author · English · 1892–1933

Stella Benson (1892–1933) was a British feminist, novelist, poet and travel writer, born in Shropshire. She lived for a time in California and set several novels in China, often blending fantasy, satire and social observation. Her representative works include I Pose, This Is the End, Living Alone and The Poor Man; the library also holds Twenty and Kwan-yin. In 1932 she won the French Prix Femina for a foreign novel, and she died in Tonkin, northern Vietnam, in 1933. Public information is limited and many details of her life are uncertain, yet her surviving works show a concern with women's lives and cross-cultural experience, written in a witty and imaginative style that gives her a distinctive place in early twentieth-century British literature.