The Apple-Tree Table, and Other Sketches by Herman Melville
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"The Apple-Tree Table, and Other Sketches" by Herman Melville is a collection of short stories written in the mid-19th century. The opening portion introduces readers to a peculiar apple-tree table with a storied past, enticing them into a blend of the supernatural and domestic life, as the main character navigates his fascination with this seemingly haunted piece of furniture. Melville's characteristic wit and philosophical musings come to life through the narrative, which
revolves around the tensions created by the table's mysterious qualities. At the start of the book, the narrator recounts the discovery of the old apple-tree table in a dusty attic, igniting a mix of intrigue and discomfort. The protagonist's family, particularly his daughters, are unnerved by the table's cloven feet and its eerie origins, leading to humorous exchanges about superstition and domesticity. As tensions rise, a ticking sound is heard emanating from the table, stirring both curiosity and fear, eventually culminating in the discovery of a living insect emerging from it, providing a blend of comedy and the grotesque. This whimsical yet unsettling beginning sets the tone for the other sketches in the collection, which offer further explorations into the intersections of the ordinary and the extraordinary. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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About this eBook
| Author | Melville, Herman, 1819-1891 |
|---|---|
| Author of introduction, etc. | Chapin, Henry, 1893-1983 |
| LoC No. | 23006764 |
| Title | The Apple-Tree Table, and Other Sketches |
| Contents | The apple-tree table -- Hawthorne and his Mosses -- Jimmy Rose -- I and my chimney -- The Paradise of Bachelors and the Tartarus of Maids -- Cock-a-doodle-doo -- The fiddler -- Poor man's pudding and rich man's crumbs -- The happy failure -- The 'Gees. |
| Credits | Chris Whitehead, Mary Glenn Krause, David Edwards, Eric Lehtonen and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team |
| Reading Level | Reading ease score: 69.6 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature |
| Subject | Short stories, American |
| Subject | American fiction -- 19th century |
| Category | Text |
| eBook-No. | 53861 |
| Release Date | Jan 1, 2017 |
| Last Update | Oct 23, 2024 |
| Copyright | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 783 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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