Project Gutenberg 2004-08-25 Public domain in the USA. 179 Bennett, Arnold 1867 1931 Bennett, Enoch Arnold Bennett, E. Arnold Tales of the Five Towns Jonathan Ingram and PG Distributed Proofreaders "Tales of the Five Towns" by Arnold Bennett is a collection of short stories set in the early 20th century that explores the lives and characters of the inhabitants of the fictional industrial town of Bursley in the Five Towns area of Staffordshire, England. The narratives often delve into the themes of social status, romance, and the nuanced relationships between the townsfolk. The stories in this collection, such as "His Worship the Goosedriver" and "The Elixir of Youth," introduce characters like Josiah Curtenty, the Deputy-Mayor who finds himself in humorous and precarious situations. The opening of "Tales of the Five Towns" introduces readers to the bustling town atmosphere during the holiday season. It features Mr. Josiah Curtenty and Mr. Gordon, who share a mutual affection for the same woman and navigate local society's intricacies. As they leave a pub, Curtenty whimsically engages a gloomy gooseherd, leading to an impulsive purchase of geese, which sets off a series of comedic misadventures. The narrative builds a vivid picture of small-town life, characterized by camaraderie, competition, and a touch of the absurd, and hints at deeper themes of ambition and societal expectation that will likely unfold in subsequent stories. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 73.1 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en City and town life -- Fiction Staffordshire (England) -- Fiction Pottery industry -- Fiction Stoke-on-Trent (England) -- Fiction PR Text Category: Short Stories Category: Humour Category: British Literature 350727 2025-08-06T04:50:02.645329 text/html 333482 2024-10-28T20:16:36 text/html 236415 2025-08-06T04:50:10.895826 application/epub+zip 232368 2025-08-06T04:50:05.681825 application/epub+zip 223125 2025-08-06T04:50:04.454827 application/epub+zip 406292 2025-08-06T04:50:14.472809 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 376476 2025-08-06T04:50:09.791787 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 331616 2022-09-07T01:25:06.920132 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 319110 2025-08-06T04:50:01.926313 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 299348 2024-10-28T20:16:36 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 17235 2025-08-06T04:50:14.620754 application/rdf+xml 13904 2025-08-06T04:50:04.955800 image/jpeg 3825 2025-08-06T04:50:04.701812 image/jpeg 207730 2025-08-06T04:50:02.671844 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia