William Tell Told Again

Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville), 1881-1975Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 82K words
Chapters: 9

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.William Tell Told Again by P. G. WodehouseAuthor: Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville), 1881-1975,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Jan 1, 2005

Editor's review

This is P. G. Wodehouse's retelling of the legend of William Tell, the Swiss national hero, and falls under juvenile literature (PZ). Wodehouse rewrites the old legend in a humorous, light-hearted style, keeping the core episodes—shooting the apple, resistance to tyranny—while injecting his trademark witty dialogue and exaggerated description, so that a medieval story never feels dull. For readers familiar with Wodehouse's adult novels, this little book offers a window into his early narrative interests; for parents wanting to introduce European folklore to their children, it is also an English reader with accessible language and moderate length. Note that this is a public-domain ebook; the Project Gutenberg edition has no modern notes or introduction, so readers must supply their own background knowledge. Suitable as English extensive reading material or a bedtime read-aloud, but not to be used as a strict historical source or scholarly edition.

Who it's for

A good fit for

English readers who want an easy introduction to the William Tell legend
Wodehouse fans who enjoy his humorous style and want to read his lesser-known works
Teenagers who need short, accessible English extensive reading material
Parents looking for English bedtime read-aloud texts for their children

Not a good fit for

Researchers who need rigorous historical verification or scholarly annotation
Readers expecting Wodehouse's typical adult satirical novel style
Beginners in English reading who need vocabulary notes for support

Reading tips

First learn the basic outline of the William Tell legend, then read this book to appreciate the pleasure of the retelling.
Can be used as bedtime read-aloud material, one or two chapters a day, with discussion of heroes and tyranny.
Don't look up every unfamiliar word; first grasp the plot progression and the humor of the dialogue.
After finishing, compare with other versions of the Tell story to observe Wodehouse's choices in retelling.

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 an original story by Wodehouse?

No. It is a retelling of the traditional Swiss legend of William Tell, rewritten in Wodehouse's humorous style; core episodes such as shooting the apple and resisting the local governor come from folklore, not from his imagination.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

It is a free public-domain ebook released by Project Gutenberg, containing the English original and typically without modern introduction, notes, or illustration captions. Readers need to supply background knowledge themselves; it suits those able to read English independently.

What age of child is it suitable for?

The material does not specify a target age. Given that it is juvenile literature and not long, upper primary to junior high readers with some English foundation are more suitable; younger children are advised to have a parent read aloud and explain the background.

Is the style the same as Wodehouse's adult novels?

It shares similar witty dialogue and light pace, but this book retells a legend for young readers, with far less satirical edge and adult social scenes than his adult novels. It can be seen as a lightweight work for observing the early use of his humor techniques.

Comments

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About the author

Wodehouse, P. G. (Pelham Grenville), 1881-1975 Author

P. G. Wodehouse (Pelham Grenville Wodehouse, 1881–1975) was a British humorist and novelist known for his light, witty comic style. The library holds 41 of his works, including the Jeeves books Right Ho, Jeeves, My Man Jeeves, and The Inimitable Jeeves, as well as The Clicking of Cuthbert, The Girl on the Boat, A Damsel in Distress, The Man Upstairs and Other Stories, and Psmith, Journalist. These works often turn on the mismatched relations between idle aristocrats, clumsy young men, and shrewd servants, with plots driven by misunderstanding, coincidence, and role reversal, and prose marked by irony and exaggeration. Wodehouse's easy elegance, brisk dialogue, and comic invention had a lasting influence on twentieth-century English humorous writing. Public information is limited, so no biographical details are conjectured here.