Smith College Stories

Bacon, Josephine Daskam, 1876-1961Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.9

Word count: 371K words
Chapters: 38

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.Smith College Stories by Josephine Daskam BaconAuthor: Bacon, Josephine Daskam, 1876-1961,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Jan 17, 2013

Editor's review

This short story collection by American author Josephine Daskam Bacon is set against the campus life of Smith College, sketching with a light yet delicate touch the daily routines, friendships, and small worries of women college students. The work bears the imprint of American women's higher education in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, offering some reference value for understanding the educational environment and campus culture for women of that era. Each story stands alone and is short, suitable for casual reading during commutes or before bed; the original English is not especially difficult and can serve as introductory material for reading English literature. Note that the situations in the book are markedly distant from contemporary campus life, and some humor and values need to be understood in historical context; readers should not judge them simply by today's standards.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in American women's college life in the early twentieth century
Those who wish to encounter original English literature through light short-form reading
Students and enthusiasts studying the history of women's higher education or campus literature
Readers who enjoy delicate character portrayal and a slow-paced narrative style

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking strong plots, fast pacing, or suspenseful conflict
Readers expecting a systematically structured full-length novel
Beginners with weak English reading skills who need annotated assistance

Reading tips

Read one or two stories a day in sequence; no need to finish at once—keep a relaxed pace.
While reading, note the descriptions of classes, dormitories, and club activities to appreciate the era's differences.
Skip unfamiliar cultural terms at first, then infer from context after finishing the whole story.
Read alongside other American women's fiction of the same period to deepen understanding of the era's context.

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 a novel or a short story collection?

According to the information, it is a collection of stories set in Smith College life; the stories are relatively independent rather than a coherent novel. It suits reading story by story, with no need to finish in one sitting.

How difficult is the original English?

The work dates from the early twentieth century, with a somewhat traditional style, but it focuses on everyday campus life with gentle plots and not overly difficult vocabulary. Readers with intermediate English can read it through with a dictionary.

Is this book suitable for studying the history of women's education?

It can serve as supplementary material. The book presents the campus atmosphere and student life of women's colleges at the time, but it is literature rather than historical record; citations should be cross-checked with other sources.

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About the author

Bacon, Josephine Daskam, 1876-1961 Author

Josephine Daskam Bacon (1876–1961) was an American writer whose life and creative background are only sparsely documented in publicly available sources. The library holds thirteen of her works, showing a considerable range of subjects across fiction, children's stories, and social narratives with a mysterious streak. Books such as In the Border Country and While Caroline Was Growing reveal her interest in childhood and growing up, while The Strange Cases of Dr. Stanchon displays psychological and suspenseful elements. The Courting of Lady Jane, A Philanthropist, and Julia The Apostate focus largely on marriage, social class, and women's circumstances, often with gentle irony and careful observation of character. Her style favors drama in everyday settings and uses dialogue to shape her figures. She was an active author in American popular literary circles from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century, and her work retains value for rereading and study.