Jimsy: The Christmas Kid

Leona DalrympleProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.4

Word count: 50K 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.Jimsy: The Christmas Kid by Leona DalrympleAuthor: Dalrymple, Leona, 1884-,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Feb 18, 2009

Editor's review

This work comes from the hand of the early twentieth-century American writer Leona Dalrymple. Set against the Christmas season, it tells the story of a boy named Jimsy and carries the warmth and light pacing characteristic of the popular fiction of its era. As a free eBook from Project Gutenberg, its primary value lies in accessibility: readers can enjoy a complete early American popular literary text at no cost, making it a suitable sample for understanding the style of American holiday narrative in the early twentieth century. The book's treatment of holiday atmosphere and character relationships tends toward the bright and sentimental without being heavy, making it suitable for casual reading around Christmas and also as introductory material for English learners encountering early twentieth-century English prose. Note that the Gutenberg edition is the original English text, not a translation, so Chinese readers need some English reading ability; the format is also primarily plain text, lacking modern annotations, and details involving the historical background require readers to look them up themselves. Overall, this is a public-domain little book suited to light reading and to those interested in literary history, rather than a text for in-depth research.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English-language readers who enjoy Christmas themes and want a light holiday story
Students learning English who hope to encounter early twentieth-century American popular fiction
Readers interested in Project Gutenberg and public-domain eBooks
General readers who want short, light reading during the holidays

Not a good fit for

Readers with limited English reading ability who need a Chinese translation
Researchers expecting rigorous scholarly annotations and background verification
Readers who prefer contemporary pacing and strong plot conflict

Reading tips

It can be arranged for reading one or two chapters each evening around Christmas, progressing lightly along with the holiday atmosphere.
Jot down unfamiliar old-fashioned expressions while reading, and look them up together after finishing.
If used for English learning, first read through the plot, then choose a passage for close reading and retelling.
After finishing, compare it with other early twentieth-century Christmas stories to compare similarities and differences in narrative 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 book in Chinese or English?

This is the original English-language eBook released by Project Gutenberg, with the main text in English, not a Chinese translation. Therefore, some English reading ability is needed before reading; Chinese readers can use it as English extensive reading material.

What are the features of the Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg provides free public-domain eBooks. This edition is presented in a plain-text format that is easy to download, without annotations, introductions, or illustrations from modern publishers. Readers need to look up the historical background involved themselves while reading.

Is it suitable for reading to children?

The book features a young protagonist and a warm atmosphere, but the language is early twentieth-century English and there is no Chinese parallel text. Younger children will have difficulty reading it independently; it is better suited to teenagers with some English foundation or to reading accompanied by a parent who explains.

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About the author

Leona Dalrymple Author · American · 1884–1968

Leona Dalrymple (1884–1968) was an American writer active in the early twentieth century. Born in Passaic, New Jersey, she wrote novels, short stories, and one-act plays. In 1913 her novel Diane of the Green Van won a ten-thousand-dollar literary prize awarded by the publishers Reilly & Britton, and the book was adapted into a film in 1919. Six of her works are held in this collection. Besides Diane of the Green Van, they include Kenny, Uncle Noah's Christmas Inspiration, When the Yule Log Burns: A Christmas Story, Jimsy: The Christmas Kid, and In the Heart of the Christmas Pines. These titles suggest that her writing often drew on Christmas and holiday settings, with a warm tone and a focus on family and sentiment. Public information about her life and complete body of work is limited.