Beneath an Umbrella

Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 1804-1864Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 14K 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.Beneath an Umbrella (From "Twice Told Tales") by Nathaniel HawthorneAuthor: Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 1804-1864,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Nov 1, 2005

Editor's review

"Beneath an Umbrella" also comes from Hawthorne's Twice-Told Tales. It is a short sketch that takes an everyday scene as its entry point, and the English original is provided free by Project Gutenberg. The piece is not long; its narrative centers on a chance encounter on a rainy street and carries Hawthorne's characteristic observation and understated irony, reading lightly yet leaving something to linger over. It works well as a sample for understanding nineteenth-century American short prose narrative, and is also convenient for English learners doing close reading and retelling practice with short texts. Because the text is early, some expressions are distant from modern English; when reading, it is best to rely on context rather than pursue word-for-word correspondence. As a public-domain e-book, it is better suited as classroom supplementary material or a personal close-reading piece than as a diversion-driven read in pursuit of strong plot.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English learners who want to practice close reading and retelling with short English texts
Readers interested in Hawthorne's sketches and nineteenth-century depictions of city life
English literature teachers or students who need short supplementary texts for class
Readers who prefer lightweight public-domain e-books for reading at any time

Not a good fit for

Readers of popular fiction who want tight plots and strong suspense
Beginners who are unused to old-fashioned English and unwilling to check references
Readers who want a long complete narrative or a detailed annotated edition

Reading tips

On the first reading, follow only the plot; on the second, pay attention to the narrator's angle of observation and shifts in tone.
After reading, retell the story in two or three sentences to check whether you have grasped the scene and the relationships between characters.
When you meet old-fashioned expressions, guess from context first and check them all together after finishing the paragraph.
Compare it with other short pieces in the same book to see how Hawthorne handles narrative in different scenes.

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 short story in the same style as "The Lily's Quest"?

Both come from Twice-Told Tales and both show Hawthorne's short-form craft, but "Beneath an Umbrella" stays closer to an everyday street scene and has a relatively lighter allegorical flavor. Reading them side by side lets you observe how the author handles different subjects.

Is it suitable for English reading practice?

It suits intermediate and above learners for close reading of short texts. It is short and concentrated in scene, making it easy to read in sections, retell, and excerpt sentence patterns. But the text is early, so it is advisable to use a dictionary and infer from context rather than insist on word-for-word correspondence.

Does this edition have modern notes or an introduction?

This is a public-domain English electronic text provided by Project Gutenberg, usually consisting mainly of the original text and generally without modern notes or an introduction. If you need background explanation, you can consult relevant materials on Hawthorne and Twice-Told Tales separately.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Hawthorne, Nathaniel, 1804-1864 Author

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864) was an American novelist known for his engagement with Puritan tradition and moral allegory. He wrote about sin, guilt, confession, and social prejudice in a restrained style with vivid imagery, often using historical settings and legendary tales to reveal the subtleties of human nature. The collection here holds 98 of his works, including the frequently translated novel The Scarlet Letter, the short-story collection Twice-Told Tales, and children's books drawn from myth and legend such as A Wonder Book for Girls & Boys, Tanglewood Tales, The Gorgon's Head, and The Three Golden Apples, showing his dual interest in New England history and classical myth. His writing has had a lasting influence on American literature's treatment of conscience and identity. Publicly available details of his life are limited, so they are not elaborated here.