Perchance to Dream

Stockham, RichardProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.8

Word count: 33K 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. Perchance to Dream by Richard Stockham. Author: Stockham, Richard. Language: English. Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature. Release Date: Jun 17, 2010.

Editor's review

Perchance to Dream is a short science-fiction work by Richard Stockham published in the mid-twentieth century and made available as a public-domain ebook by Project Gutenberg. The title borrows a famous line from Shakespeare's Hamlet, hinting that the story revolves around sleep, dreams, and the boundaries of consciousness. As a product of the early science-fiction magazine era, its value lies in the typical pleasures of short fiction from that period: a single ingenious idea drives the narrative, and technology's collision with everyday life is handled in a light, even faintly satirical tone. It is short and clearly structured, suitable as English short-reading material or a discussion sample in a science-fiction history class. Note that it bears clear marks of its time: characterization and gender roles are simplified, and the technological speculation is not hard science. Readers expecting modern long-form science fiction may find it thin. The public-domain edition is easy to obtain and suited to a quick read-through or classroom excerpt.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who want to practice reading rhythm and vocabulary with a short English science-fiction story
Organizers of science-fiction history courses or reading groups who need samples of early magazine science fiction
Casual readers who enjoy light stories built on a clever idea rather than hard settings
Beginners studying mid-twentieth-century popular literature and science-fiction magazine style

Not a good fit for

Hard science-fiction readers expecting rigorous scientific settings or long-form world-building
Readers sensitive to the simplified characters and gender roles of early popular fiction
Readers seeking deep literary analysis or complex narrative structure

Reading tips

Read it through in one sitting, then revisit the title and ending together to appreciate the structure of an idea-driven short story.
While reading, note the technological setting and the characters' reactions, and consider the author's attitude toward dreams and consciousness.
For classroom use, compare it with other magazine science fiction from the same period and discuss the conventions of the era.
English learners can read it twice: first for plot, then to circle vivid verbs and dialogue.

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 story hard or soft science fiction?

It is closer to soft science fiction built on a clever idea. A single core premise drives the plot, and the emphasis is not on rigorous scientific reasoning but on how characters respond to a strange situation and on the satirical undertone. If you prefer hard science fiction dense with technical detail, the setting may feel light.

Is it long, and what reading situations suit it?

It is a short work, suited to being read in one sitting on a commute, before bed, or as a classroom excerpt. Because it is short, it also works well as English reading practice or a quick discussion text for a reading group; it is easy to revisit the structure afterward and open up discussion.

How does the title relate to the content?

The title comes from Hamlet's famous soliloquy on death and sleep, suggesting that the story concerns dreams, consciousness, or another level of reality. As you read, watch whether the ending answers this title cue—one way early science fiction often used literary allusion to add resonance.

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

Stockham, Richard Author

Richard Stockham is an author about whom little public information is available; his nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background are not clearly documented. Four of his works are currently on record: Circle of Flight, Perchance to Dream, Perfect Control, and The Valley, which are often classified as inspirational and personal-growth writing. Judging from the titles and categories, his work tends to center on personal development, self-management, and life's circumstances, guiding readers to reflect on goals, mindset, and choices. Because biographical material is lacking, his specific experiences and creative trajectory cannot be confirmed, yet the four works show a sustained focus on growth, making them suitable for Chinese readers seeking inspiration and self-reflection through reading.