Webster—Man's Man cover

Webster—Man's Man

Rating 3.0
Word count
523K words
Chapters
53

Tags

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.Webster—Man's Man by Peter B. KyneAuthor: Kyne, Peter B. (Peter Bernard), 1880-1957,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: May 3, 2016

Editor's review

Webster—Man's Man is an American popular novel by Peter B. Kyne, presented here as an English-language eBook by Project Gutenberg. Kyne was known for writing of rugged masculinity and Western adventure, and this book continues his brisk, direct narrative style, centering on a protagonist named Webster and depicting his trials and choices in business and life. The work embodies values typical of early twentieth-century American popular literature: self-reliance, loyalty and courage, and keeping one's word; its characters tend toward types but are vividly readable. As a public-domain eBook, its value lies in offering a sample of early American popular fiction tastes, through which readers can sense how the era imagined and constructed the image of "manliness." The English original is moderate in length and not difficult in language, making it suitable as introductory material for reading English originals and for casual browsing by readers interested in the history of Western popular literature and Western and adventure themes. It is best read as a period text rather than modern serious literature; attending to the social ideas behind characters' words and deeds yields more pleasure.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Beginning readers who want to try English original novels and need moderate language difficulty
  • Readers interested in early twentieth-century American popular literature and Western adventure themes
  • Literature enthusiasts studying the construction of masculinity in American popular culture
  • Those who enjoy brisk plots and traditional narratives with clear good and evil

Not a good fit for

  • Readers who prefer complex psychological description and modernist narrative technique
  • Readers expecting contemporary values and diverse perspectives may feel alienated
  • Readers with limited patience for reading English originals who want a Chinese translation

Reading tips

  1. Read the opening chapters first to gauge language difficulty, then decide between close and general reading; do not insist on verifying every word.
  2. As you read, note how the author shapes the male protagonist through dialogue and action; you may excerpt his words and deeds.
  3. If interested in literary history, compare with American popular novels of the same period and consider the commonalities and differences in "tough guy" images.
  4. Those with basic English are advised to read in sections with a dictionary and summarize each chapter in Chinese after finishing it.

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.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51
  52. 52
  53. 53

FAQ

Is this book in Chinese or English? Is it hard to read?
This is an English-language eBook from Project Gutenberg. The original language is generally plain, with short sentences, in the style of popular fiction; readers with roughly CET-4 level English can proceed with a dictionary. It is not very difficult.
What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?
Project Gutenberg is one of the earliest projects providing free eBooks; its editions are based on public-domain texts and are easy to obtain and share free of charge. This book is the English electronic text released by that project, suitable for reading on electronic devices, though it usually lacks the notes and introductions of modern publishers.
Do I need to know the author's background to read this book?
Not necessarily. Peter B. Kyne was an American popular novelist of the first half of the twentieth century, and this book can be read on its own. For deeper understanding, you may learn afterward about the characteristics of the American popular reading market in his time, but extensive preparation beforehand is unnecessary.

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About the author

Peter B. Kyne (1880–1957) was an American author known for his novels and short stories. His work ranged widely, from Western adventures and gold-rush tales to business-themed inspirational fiction and nautical comedy. His best-known book, The Three Godfathers, tells a story of redemption and sacrifice in the desert and has been adapted for the screen several times; The Go-Getter offers a concise portrait of a salesman's enterprising spirit and has long been used in business circles as motivational reading. Cappy Ricks and Captain Scraggs employ a humorous tone to depict shipping and commercial rivalries, showing his skill with dialogue and narrative pacing. Ten of his works are held in this collection, spanning Western, business, and sea-adventure genres. Public information on his life and education is limited, so no speculation is offered here.

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