If, Yes and Perhaps

Hale, Edward Everett, 1822-1909Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 423K words
Chapters: 43

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.If, Yes and Perhaps by Edward Everett HaleAuthor: Hale, Edward Everett, 1822-1909,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Mar 21, 2009

Editor's review

If, Yes and Perhaps is a collection of short works by the nineteenth-century American author and clergyman Edward Everett Hale, in the public domain of American literature. Hale is known for a gentle humor, imagination and social concern; the stories here often start from everyday situations or hypothetical premises and explore fate, choice and moral judgment, making for light reading that lingers in the mind. It suits readers interested in nineteenth-century American short fiction and popular literature, and can serve as extensive reading for English literature courses. Because it was written long ago, some cultural background and allusions take a little patience, but the language overall is not difficult. As a public-domain ebook with flexible length, it fits fragmented reading time and also comparison with works by Hale's American contemporaries, revealing the subjects and tastes of short fiction of the day.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers interested in nineteenth-century American short fiction
University teachers and students needing extensive reading in English literature
Readers who enjoy light, humorous stories with a thoughtful edge
Researchers and enthusiasts wanting to understand Hale's style

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting fast modern plots and strong dramatic conflict
English beginners who need detailed notes and introductions
Readers of novels only

Reading tips

Read piece by piece, pausing after each to consider the hypothetical implied by the title.
Start with the shorter, livelier pieces before the longer stories.
Note recurring themes such as choice, fate and chance to grasp the collection as a whole.
Read alongside short fiction by American contemporaries to see differences in subject and style.

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 a novel or a short-story collection?

It is a collection of short works, each fairly independent; it suits reading in segments rather than straight through. Lengths vary, so you can choose according to your time.

Do I need to know American history to read this book?

A basic familiarity helps. Hale's works carry the social and religious background of nineteenth-century America, and some pieces involve the ideas and allusions of the time. Look up brief background when something is unclear; it won't hinder overall reading.

Is it suitable for learning English?

It can serve as extensive reading for intermediate learners and above; the language is generally plain but carries nineteenth-century usage and cultural allusions. Beginners should use an annotated edition or start with simplified readers before trying the original.

Comments

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About the author

Hale, Edward Everett, 1822-1909 Author

Edward Everett Hale (1822–1909) was an American author whose biographical details are limited in the available Chinese sources. The library holds ten of his works, including novels, histories, and story collections, with representative titles such as The Man Without a Country, The Brick Moon, and Other Stories, and The Life of Columbus. His writing often draws on historical events and figures, combining romance with moral concern, and his short stories are clearly structured and plainly narrated. The Man Without a Country is relatively widely known, while The Brick Moon has attracted attention for its early imagination of a satellite-like space station, and The Life of Columbus reflects his historical writing. His varied subjects include patriotism, invention, and holiday stories, and his work has had some influence on American popular literature and early science-fiction imagination.