Family Tree

Fontenay, Charles L., 1917-2007Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 56K words
Chapters: 6

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.Family Tree by Charles L. FontenayAuthor: Fontenay, Charles L., 1917-2007,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: May 31, 2019

Editor's review

Family Tree is a short work by the American writer Charles L. Fontenay, included in Project Gutenberg e-books under American literature. Judging by its length and publication form, it is a short fictional story suited to a quick read, built around the image of a family lineage and carrying the kind of clever twist common in early science fiction or popular fiction. Its value lies in presenting a complete idea in a light length: it suits brief moments of reading for the narrative pleasure of early genre fiction, and lets readers observe the language style of mid-twentieth-century American popular writing. As a public-domain e-book it is easy to obtain, and it works as English extensive-reading material or a discussion sample for short fiction. Note that the available information gives no detailed plot; readers should enter the text with an open mind rather than expecting grand themes. For classroom use, teachers should read it first and set the direction of discussion.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who like short fiction and want to finish a story quickly
Intermediate English learners seeking English short stories for extensive reading
Readers interested in early American popular and genre fiction
Organizers needing a short text for book-club discussion

Not a good fit for

Readers wanting long epics or complex multi-thread narratives
Those needing detailed research material on the author's life and background
Beginners with weak English who rely on Chinese parallel text
Readers expecting family-history nonfiction or genealogy handbooks

Reading tips

Read it through in one sitting, then look back at the opening for foreshadowing and consider the story's structure.
Note unfamiliar English expressions and infer meaning from context rather than looking up every word.
After reading, retell the core premise in your own words to check your understanding.
For discussion, form questions around how the title and content echo each other.

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

What kind of story is this?

The information only identifies it as American literature by Charles L. Fontenay. Judging by the title and length, it is a short fictional work built around the image of a family lineage, with the kind of twist found in early popular or genre fiction. Readers must confirm the actual plot by reading; do not assume content from the title.

Can readers with average English manage it?

This is a mid-twentieth-century English short story; the language is generally plain but may contain occasional period expressions. Intermediate readers can finish it with a dictionary. Read through first for the gist, then handle unfamiliar words, without checking every one.

Is it suitable for classroom use?

Its short length and complete structure make it suitable for extensive reading or short-fiction discussion. Teachers should read the whole text first, confirm it fits the teaching goals, then design discussion questions around the title, premise, and ending, rather than leaving students to interpret it unaided.

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

Fontenay, Charles L., 1917-2007 Author

Charles L. Fontenay (1917–2007) was an English-language writer known mainly for his short science fiction, though public information about his life and nationality is limited; what can be confirmed is chiefly his work itself. The library holds fifteen of his works, including The Jupiter Weapon, Service with a Smile, Rebels of the Red Planet, The Gift Bearer, Family Tree, Wind, Disqualified, and Atom Drive. Judging from these titles, he excelled at setting ingenious science-fictional premises within a limited narrative span, often involving planetary adventure, future technology, and human relationships. His tone tends toward light humor or satire, his plots are tight, and his endings frequently carry an unexpected twist. His stories appeared mostly in mid-twentieth-century science fiction magazines, making him an active participant in the popular short science fiction of that era. In the absence of complete biographical material, his literary standing should not be overestimated, yet his short stories are still read by science fiction enthusiasts today.