If Winter Don't E-Book

Barry Pain

• Herausgeber: Booksell-Verlag
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

In "If Winter Don't," Barry Pain delivers a compelling narrative that intertwines the themes of existential inquiry and the passage of time, masterfully showcasing his keen sense for character development and dialogue. The novel'Äôs literary style is characterized by Pain's subtle wit and vivid imagery, capturing both the starkness of winter and the resilience of the human spirit. Set against the backdrop of early 20th-century England, the book resonates with the modernist movement, reflecting the complexities of individual consciousness amidst societal change. Barry Pain (1864-1928) was a prolific writer whose diverse body of work spans novels, short stories, and essays. His keen observation of human nature and societal dynamics, informed by his experiences and the literary influences of his time, propelled him to craft this work. Pain's tenure at the contemporary literary scene, coupled with his explorations of life's deeper meanings, illuminated his path to create a narrative that echoes with authenticity and depth. For readers seeking a profound exploration of life's transient nature, "If Winter Don't" stands as a thought-provoking reflection. Pain's ability to weave humor with poignancy invites readers to engage with the text profoundly, making it a recommended addition to the libraries of those who appreciate literary depth and emotional resonance.

Leseprobe

Barry Pain

If Winter Don't

A.B.C.D.E.F. Notsomuchinson

Published by Good Press, 2022

[email protected]

EAN 4064066239749

Table of Contents

I

II

III

IV

IF WINTER DON’T

CHAPTER I

CHAPTER II

CHAPTER III

1

2

3

4

CHAPTER IV

CHAPTER V

CHAPTER VI

1

2

3

CHAPTER VII

CHAPTER VIII

CHAPTER IX

1

2

3

4

5

CHAPTER X

CHAPTER XI

1

2

3

4

5

6

7,”

8.”

9.”

10

EPILOGUE

THE END

PREFATORY NOTE

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I

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“If Winter Comes” placed its author not only as a Best Seller, but as one of the Great Novelists of to-day. Not always are those royalties crowned by those laurels. Tarzan (of, if I remember rightly, the Apes) never won the double event. And I am told by superior people that, intellectually, Miss Ethel M. Dell takes the hindmost. Personally, I found “If Winter Comes” a most sympathetic and interesting book. I think there are only two points on which I should be disposed to quarrel with it. Firstly, though Nona is a real creation, Effie is an incredible piece of novelist’s machinery. Secondly, I detest the utilization of the Great War at the present day for the purposes of fiction. It is altogether too easy. It buys the emotional situation ready-made. It asks the reader’s memory to supplement the writer’s imagination. And this is not my sole objection to its use.

II

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I wonder if I might, without being thought blasphemous, say a word or two about the Great Novelists of to-day. They have certain points of resemblance. I do not think that over-states it.

They have the same little ways. They divide their chapters into sections, and number the sections in plain figures. This is quite pontifical, and lends your story the majesty of an Act of Parliament. The first man who did it was a genius. And the other seven hundred and eighteen showed judgment. I propose to use it myself when I remember it.

Then there is the three-dot trick. At one time those dots indicated an omission. To-day, some of our best use them as an equivalent of the cinema fade-out. Those dots prolong the effect of a word or sentence; they lend it an afterglow. You see what I mean? Afterglow ...

One must mention, too, the staccato style—the style that makes the printer send the boy out for another hundred gross of full-stops. All the Great Novelists of to-day use it, more or less.

III

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Let us see what can be done with it. Here, for instance, is a sentence which was taught me in the nursery, for its alleged tongue-twisting quality: “She stood at the door of Burgess’s fish-sauce shop, Strand, welcoming him in.” In that form it is not impressive, but now note what one of these staccato merchants might make of it.

“Across the roaring Strand red and green lights spelling on the gloom. ‘BURGESS’S FISH-SAU.’ A moment’s darkness and again ‘BURGESS’S FISH-SAU.’ Like that. Truncated. The final —CE not functioning. He had to look though it hurt him. Hurt horrible. Damnably. And his eyes traveled downward.

“Suddenly and beyond hope she! Isobel-at-the-last. Standing in the doorway. White on black. Slim. Willowy. Incomparable. Incommensurable. She saw him and her lips rounded to a call. He sensed it through the traffic. Come in. Calling and calling. Come in.

“Come in....

“Out of the rain.”

It is like a plaintive hymn sung to a banjo accompaniment.

Incidentally it illustrates another favorite trick of these gentlemen—the introduction of a commonplace or even jarring detail into a romantic scene in order to increase its appearance of reality. It is quite a good trick.

IV

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And sometimes, not every day but sometimes, one gets a little weary even of the best tricks. Need the author depend quite so much on the printer for his effects? Scenes and passages in a book seem to be standing very near the edge, and the wanton thought occurs to one that a little shove would send them over. In fact, one gets irritable. And then anything bad may happen. This parody for instance.

IF WINTER DON’T

CHAPTER I

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Luke Sharper. Age, thirty-four. Married, but not much. Private residence, Jawbones, Halfpenny Hole, Surrey. Favorite recreation, suffering. Favorite flower——

Oh, drop it! Let us rather listen to Mr. Alfred Jingle, solicitor, talking to his artist friend.

“Met Sharper yesterday. Remember him at the old school? Flap Sharper we called him. Not that they really did flap. His ears, I mean. They just crept up and bent over when he was thinking hard. People came to see it. Came from miles around.