Told After Supper

Jerome, Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka), 1859-1927Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 65K words
Chapters: 7

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.Told After Supper by Jerome K. JeromeAuthor: Jerome, Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka), 1859-1927,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Dec 1, 1999

Editor's review

Told After Supper is a short humorous work by Jerome K. Jerome, built around the scene of 'stories told after supper' and carrying a clear strain of parody aimed at the Christmas ghost story. In a relaxed first-person voice, the author makes comic hay of a group taking turns telling ghost stories after food and drink: the horror is continually defused, replaced by good-natured teasing of the tellers' vanity, the listeners' reactions and the party atmosphere. Its strengths are a brisk pace and dense jokes, with the narrator undermining his own tales as he tells them, producing layer upon layer of comic effect; it is also short, well suited to dipping into on a holiday or a winter night. As a public-domain ebook, it works best as a light introduction to Jerome's brand of English humor rather than serious horror literature. Readers expecting genuine chills may be disappointed; those looking for light entertainment with a touch of literary wit will find it a good fit.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who enjoy English humor and light comic narration
Those wanting a short read for holidays or winter nights
Readers interested in parody of ghost stories and metafictional devices
Newcomers hoping to encounter Jerome's easygoing style

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking genuine horror and an atmosphere of dread
Those who prefer serious literature and deep thematic exploration
Readers who need a long, continuous plot

Reading tips

Good for a winter night or around a holiday gathering; reading it in one go brings out the rhythm.
Notice how the narrator dismantles his own ghost stories to savor the humor of the parody.
Try reading a passage aloud to feel the rhythm and pauses of the colloquial English narration.
Afterward, compare it with traditional ghost-story writing to see what the book is teasing.

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 scary?

Not at all. It is a parody of the tradition of telling ghost stories after supper, and the horror is continually defused by the narrator's clowning and the listeners' comic reactions. Readers are more likely to smile than to feel frightened. If you are looking for real horror stories, this may not meet expectations.

Do I need to read other works by Jerome first?

No. This is a standalone short work that does not depend on knowledge of the author's other books. Its humor comes from the narration and the scene itself, so you can go straight in. If you like the style, you can seek out more of Jerome afterward.

What reading situations does its length suit?

It is short enough to read in one sitting, and also works for commuting, bedtime or gaps during a holiday gathering. Because the jokes depend on narrative rhythm, it is best to finish a whole passage at a stretch rather than interrupting often, so you can appreciate the narrator's layered self-undermining humor.

Comments

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About the author

Jerome, Jerome K. (Jerome Klapka), 1859-1927 Author

Jerome K. Jerome (1859–1927) was an English humorist known for his light, witty narrative style. His best-known work, Three Men in a Boat, turns a boating trip on the Thames into a comic account of small mishaps and idle reflections; its relaxed pacing and dry humour made it a classic of English comic writing, and the sequel Three Men on the Bummel follows the same vein. His essay collections The Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow and The Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow, which treat everyday life in a leisurely, self-mocking tone, were likewise widely read. These works have been translated into many languages, and this library alone holds thirty-eight of his titles, a sign of the enduring appeal of his humorous prose across languages.