Three at Table

William Wymark JacobsProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.9

Word count: 13K 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.Three at Table 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

Three at Table is also by W. W. Jacobs, released as a free ebook by Project Gutenberg. Jacobs's short stories often begin with ordinary domestic scenes, move forward through dialogue and detail, and produce a surprise at the end; this piece also shows his plain, restrained, quietly humorous narrative style. It is short enough to read in one sitting and can serve as a light sample of the English short-story tradition. While reading, pay attention to how the narrative pace controls the release of information, and to the misunderstandings and contrasts implied in the characters' talk. Since it is a public-domain English text, readers need basic English reading ability; the electronic edition is easy to search and carry, suitable for a short read on the commute or before bed. Read alongside other stories by the author, it makes his usual techniques clearer. Overall, this is a classic short story that is easy to enjoy and worth savoring.

Who it's for

A good fit for

General readers who want to finish a classic English short story with ease
Those interested in English humorous short stories and twist endings
Learners who need short materials for extensive English reading practice
Readers who collect public-domain ebooks for reading anytime

Not a good fit for

Readers hoping for a long complete story or complex character arcs
Readers with weak English who rely entirely on Chinese
Readers who prefer contemporary urban or fast-paced online fiction

Reading tips

Focus on the plot the first time; on the second reading, note details in the dialogue that hint at the ending.
When you meet period expressions, guess from context first, then check them all together to reduce interruptions.
After reading, write down why the ending twist works, training your sensitivity to narrative structure.
Read before bed or on the commute; finishing in one sitting makes the pacing easier to appreciate.

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 story consistent in style with the author's other short stories?

Jacobs's short stories typically feature everyday scenes, dialogue, and surprise endings, and this piece follows a similar path. If you have read his other works, the style will feel familiar; if this is your first encounter, it can serve as an entry point to his style.

About how long is it, and how long does it take to read?

As a short story, it is not long; readers with basic English reading ability can usually finish it in half an hour to an hour. The exact time depends on individual reading speed and dictionary habits.

Do I need any background knowledge before reading?

No special background knowledge is needed to follow the plot. For fuller understanding, a brief acquaintance with late nineteenth- to early twentieth-century English social life and the short-story tradition can help you grasp the period tone and humor in the dialogue.

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.