Trivia

Logan Pearsall SmithProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.0

Word count: 91K words
Chapters: 10

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.Trivia by Logan Pearsall SmithAuthor: Smith, Logan Pearsall, 1865-1946,Language: English, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Jul 1, 2005

Editor's review

Trivia is a collection of short prose pieces by Logan Pearsall Smith, in the public-domain category of English literature. The title means "trifles," and the contents are mostly brief, finely cut essayistic fragments that catch small observations and thoughts of everyday life in restrained, witty prose. Smith's writing is measured and ironic; the pieces are short and dense, suited to slow reading in spare moments. Their value lies not in plot or system but in the interest of the language itself and in a subtle understanding of human nature and manners; they will appeal to readers who like the English essay, the aphorism, and stylistic experiment. There is no need to look for continuous narrative; read at random and attend to the rhythm and turns of the sentences. For English learners it is good material for observing short sentences and understated humor, but it requires a certain vocabulary and feel for the language.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers who enjoy the English essay and aphoristic writing
Busy people who want short pieces to read in spare moments
Learners studying early twentieth-century English prose style
Readers with some English who want to appreciate understated humor

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting full plots and character-driven stories
Beginners with weak English who need Chinese annotations
Readers who prefer long-form argument or systematic knowledge

Reading tips

Read a few pieces a day; do not chase progress—savor the rhythm of the sentences.
Keep a notebook to copy out favorite sentences and try writing short pieces of your own in imitation.
Slow down at moments of understated irony and use the context to sense the meaning beneath the words.
Read alternately with other English essay collections to compare styles.

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 Trivia a novel or a collection of essays?

It is closer to a collection of short essays and prose pieces, not a novel with a full plot. The contents are mostly observations of everyday trifles, thoughts, and aphoristic fragments; the pieces are short and suited to reading at random, with the emphasis on language and wit rather than story development.

How difficult is the English?

The pieces are short but the diction is careful and the meaning understated; it is intermediate-to-advanced English reading that requires some vocabulary and feel for the language. Beginners may struggle; build basic vocabulary first, or read slowly piece by piece with a dictionary, attending to the turns and humor in the short sentences.

Is this book good for learning English?

It works as advanced reading material. Its short sentences are clearly structured and its expression restrained, making it easy to observe English rhythm and understated humor, but the content is literary and it is not a grammar textbook. Copying passages and writing imitations, with a dictionary at hand, works best.

Comments

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About the author

Logan Pearsall Smith Author · British (American-born) · 1865–1946

Logan Pearsall Smith (1865–1946) was an American-born British essayist and critic. Born in Millville, New Jersey, into a Quaker family, he studied at Harvard and then at Oxford, became a British citizen in 1913, and died in London in 1946. Smith is best known for his aphoristic prose in Trivia and More Trivia, distinguished by its concision and delicate observation and its gift for drawing enduring reflections from everyday trifles; his story collection The Youth of Parnassus, and Other Stories continues this restrained and witty manner. He also wrote on the English language and published the memoir Unforgotten Years. Three of his works are held in the collection; public information about him is limited, yet his essays hold a place in the English essay tradition.