Cobb's Anatomy

Cobb, Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury), 1876-1944Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.1

Word count: 96K 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.Cobb's Anatomy by Irvin S. CobbAuthor: Cobb, Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury), 1876-1944,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Feb 1, 1998

Editor's review

Cobb's Anatomy is a collection of humorous essays by the American writer Irvin S. Cobb, available free as a public-domain English ebook through Project Gutenberg. Despite borrowing the word "anatomy" for its title, it is not a medical work; it is satirical writing in which the author takes a playful look at human nature, social manners, and everyday life, reflecting the verbal wit and observational perspective of early twentieth-century American newspaper humor. Its value lies in offering a light, brisk sketch of social customs: the language is clever and the pieces are short, making the book suitable for dipping into during a commute or before bed, and a handy introduction to the tradition of American popular humor. Readers should note the distance between the book's context and the present day; some slang and allusions require notes or background knowledge to understand. Overall, this is an entertaining classic humor title with a low barrier to entry that nonetheless calls for reasonable English reading ability.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English-language readers who enjoy American humorous essays and want light entertainment
Enthusiasts and students of early twentieth-century American popular literature
Readers who want short pieces for fragmented time and to sharpen their feel for English
General readers interested in classic satirical sketches and social vignettes

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting systematic medical anatomy knowledge
Beginners with weak English who need a Chinese parallel text
Readers who prefer serious, long-form literature or strongly plotted narrative

Reading tips

Read piece by piece, one or two at a time, rather than aiming to finish quickly.
Mark slang or period allusions as you go, then look them up together after finishing a piece.
Pair the reading with background on early twentieth-century American society to grasp the satire's targets.
Use it as bedtime or commute reading, focusing on the pleasure of the language rather than memorizing.

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 about medical anatomy?

No. "Anatomy" in the title is figurative; the book is the author's humorous observation and satire of human nature and everyday life, unrelated to medical anatomy, so readers need not worry about a specialized barrier.

What English level does reading this book require?

The original is written in early twentieth-century American English with considerable slang and period expression, so a solid reading foundation is recommended. Beginners may need notes or a parallel translation, or they will struggle at the language level.

Is this book suited to reading straight through from beginning to end?

Not necessarily. The pieces are relatively independent and better suited to casual dipping. Reading continuously can be tiring because of the era's different context; reading piece by piece better captures each essay's humor and satire.

Comments

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About the author

Cobb, Irvin S. (Irvin Shrewsbury), 1876-1944 Author

Irvin S. Cobb (1876–1944) was an American humorist and war correspondent. The library holds twenty-five of his works, which fall roughly into two groups. One is set in a fictional Kentucky town, including Old Judge Priest, Back Home and Fibble, D.D., where characters such as Judge Priest bring Southern local life and manners to the page in a humorous yet warm tone. The other consists of reports and sketches from the First World War, such as The Glory of the Coming, Paths of Glory and Europe Revised, marked by close observation and unhurried narration. His prose stands between the humorous sketch and news reportage, often using colloquial dialogue and exaggerated detail for effect. Public information is limited, so this note describes his writing only as reflected in the works held here.