Love Story

Cox, Irving E., 1917-2001Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.6

Word count: 35K words
Chapters: 4

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. Love Story by Irving E. Cox. Author: Cox, Irving E., 1917-2001. Language: English. Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature. Release Date: Apr 21, 2010

Editor's review

"Love Story" is a short work by American science fiction writer Irving E. Cox, edited and released by Project Gutenberg. Cox was active in the American pulp science fiction magazine scene in the mid-twentieth century; his works often move the story forward through crisp dialogue and light premises, carrying the brisk pace characteristic of the science fiction shorts of that era. This piece is classified under American and Canadian literature; it is not long and serves as a sample of the late Golden Age science fiction short story. Its value lies not in a grand worldview but in showing how science fiction authors of the time handled the relationship between emotion and technological premises within a limited length. When reading, note the shifts in narrative perspective and the technique of using dialogue to drive the plot, and you may also compare it with other science fiction shorts of the same period. It should be noted that the materials provide only bibliographic information; the specific plot requires readers to read it themselves. If you expect lengthy depth or modern hard science fiction, you may find it thin.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who want to understand mid-twentieth-century American science fiction short stories
Learners who need short English science fiction texts for language study
Casual readers who enjoy light premises and dialogue-driven stories
Researchers studying works from the pulp science fiction magazine era

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting long, complex worldbuilding and hard scientific premises
Readers who prefer contemporary science fiction styles and have little patience for old-fashioned short stories
Readers who have difficulty reading English and need a Chinese translation

Reading tips

First read through the whole piece in a quarter of an hour to grasp the overall rhythm, then go back and look closely at the dialogue and turns.
While reading, note where the premises appear and observe how the author conveys the background in a small amount of text.
Compare it with other science fiction short stories of the same period to see similarities and differences in subject matter and narrative technique.
If using it for English study, select dialogue passages for retelling or rewriting practice.

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 novel a long work or a short story?

Judging from Project Gutenberg's single-piece release format and Cox's writing habits, this is a short science fiction work of limited length, suitable for reading in one sitting. The exact page count depends on the layout of the electronic edition, but the overall reading time is not long.

Can someone with no background in science fiction reading understand it?

Yes. Cox's short stories usually have uncomplicated premises and rely on dialogue and plot to move forward, so the barrier to entry is not high. If you are unfamiliar with the language and rhythm of mid-twentieth-century science fiction, a brief look at the style of pulp science fiction magazines of that period before reading will suffice.

Is there a Chinese version of this book?

The materials currently provided show that this is an English e-book released by Project Gutenberg, with no information about a Chinese translation. Readers need English reading ability or must use translation tools to assist their reading.

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

Cox, Irving E., 1917-2001 Author

Irving E. Cox (1917–2001) was an American science fiction writer about whom public information is limited. Ten of his works are held in this collection, including Impact, The Cartels Jungle, The Guardians, The Instant of Now, Miracle by Price, Firth's World, Love Story, and Adolescents Only. Judging from these titles, he was active in the mid-twentieth-century science fiction magazine era and worked mainly in short and novella forms. His themes often involve future social structures, the workings of business and power, the ethical dilemmas raised by technology, and the situation of adolescents. Titles such as The Cartels Jungle suggest an interest in economic combines and institutionalized power, while The Guardians and Adolescents Only point to guardian figures and generational relations. His prose is generally direct and brisk, emphasizing plot momentum and conceptual presentation, placing him among the writers of the Golden Age science fiction milieu. Because biographical material is scarce, his specific career and the full scope of his work await more complete bibliographic and archival research.