Project Gutenberg 2024-05-26 Public domain in the USA. 153 Marlowe, Stephen 1928 2008 Lesser, Milton Thames, C. H. Ridgway, Jason Chase, Adam Wilder, Stephen Granger, Darius John Lesser, Milt Finlay, Virgil 1914 1971 Finlay Excitement for sale $aNew York, NY :$bZiff-Davis Publishing Company, $c1957. Produced from Fantastic January 1958. Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Excitement for Sale" by Stephen Marlowe is a short story that revolves around the themes of desire, transformation, and the nature of happiness. Written in the mid-20th century, the narrative captures a moment in the lives of suburban housewives, emphasizing their yearnings for adventure and excitement outside the bounds of their mundane domestic lives. The plot hinges on a peculiar salesman who claims to sell happiness tailored to the desires of women, presenting a fantastical twist on the conventional sales pitch. In the story, Mary-Jean, a typical housewife feeling trapped in her routine, encounters a mysterious peddler who offers her the chance to experience the thrill and beauty she craves. After applying a "happiness balm" from the peddler’s suitcase, she undergoes a miraculous transformation into the alluring Jeanne-Marie. This new persona embarks on an adventurous night out, only to find herself entangled with a fugitive, leading to a high-stakes encounter and a self-revelation. Ultimately, Mary-Jean must confront the implications of her newfound identity and the bittersweet nature of change, culminating in her decision to return to her ordinary life, enriched by her extraordinary experience. The story serves as both a critique and an exploration of the desires that dwell within the hearts of those confined by societal expectations. (This is an automatically generated summary.) 20240320173250wilder 1957 US Reading ease score: 86.3 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Science fiction Adventure stories Women -- Fiction Happiness -- Fiction Housewives -- Fiction Sales personnel -- Fiction PS Text Category: Short Stories Category: Science-Fiction & Fantasy 88071 2025-07-29T07:52:04.112318 text/html 63295 2024-05-26T20:00:25 text/html 332779 2025-07-29T07:52:07.840337 application/epub+zip 331518 2025-07-29T07:52:05.576329 application/epub+zip 232707 2025-07-29T07:52:04.671380 application/epub+zip 1001986 2025-07-29T07:52:09.507350 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 994981 2025-07-29T07:52:07.271336 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 79141 2025-07-29T07:52:03.896321 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 59310 2024-05-26T20:00:25 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18056 2025-07-29T07:52:09.650327 application/rdf+xml 33529 2025-07-29T07:52:05.051341 image/jpeg 5252 2025-07-29T07:52:04.845331 image/jpeg 1650540 2025-07-29T07:52:04.138329 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 en.wikipedia