Project Gutenberg 2010-12-15 Public domain in the USA. 244 Fenn, George Manville 1831 1909 Fenn, G. M. (George Manville) Fenn, G. Manville (George Manville) Original Penny Readings: A Series of Short Sketches Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England "Original Penny Readings: A Series of Short Sketches" by George Manville Fenn is a collection of short sketches written in the mid-19th century. The work reflects on various aspects of life, likely weaving in social commentary and observations about different characters’ experiences and attitudes. Through these sketches, the author aims to capture common human conditions and social dynamics, offering insights into the struggles and virtues of working-class life. The opening of the collection introduces the theme of appreciating one's own worth and discourages envy of those in seemingly better circumstances. The narrative begins with a metaphor involving pots of different qualities, emphasizing that utility and resilience in labor—represented by the "common red ware"—are more valuable than mere ornamentation. Using the backdrop of a work setting, the narrator encounters a new worker struggling with the workplace customs regarding "paying the footing," highlighting issues of camaraderie versus exploitation among laborers. The passage sets a tone of social awareness, as well as the stark realities that working-class individuals face, while hinting at the theme of helping one another in a harsh world. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 72.1 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Fiction Short stories PR Text Category: Short Stories Category: British Literature 503783 2025-08-14T07:38:37.643354 text/html 520224 2010-12-15T14:08:30 text/html 287168 2025-08-14T07:38:46.818318 application/epub+zip 292692 2025-08-14T07:38:41.434358 application/epub+zip 258225 2025-08-14T07:38:40.033365 application/epub+zip 580366 2025-08-14T07:38:50.983357 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 552439 2025-08-14T07:38:45.774387 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 432493 2022-09-16T04:25:52.566013 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 480750 2025-08-14T07:38:37.111380 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 480512 2010-12-15T14:08:30 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18518 2025-08-14T07:38:51.110284 application/rdf+xml 21873 2025-08-14T07:38:40.537337 image/jpeg 4883 2025-08-14T07:38:40.286323 image/jpeg 187962 2010-12-15T14:08:30 application/octet-stream application/zip 189491 2010-12-15T14:08:30 application/octet-stream application/zip 280295 2025-08-14T07:38:37.684367 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