Project Gutenberg 2006-05-22 Public domain in the USA. 124 Harte, Bret 1836 1902 Harte, Francis Bret Urban Sketches A venerable impostor -- From a balcony -- Melons -- Surprising adventures of Master Charles Summerton -- Sidewalkings -- A boy's dog -- Charitable reminiscences -- "Seeing the steamer off" -- Neighborhoods I have moved from -- My suburban residence -- On a vulgar little boy -- Waiting for the ship. Produced by Donald Lainson and David Widger "Urban Sketches" by Bret Harte is a collection of essays and narrative vignettes written during the late 19th century. The work captures various aspects of urban life in San Francisco, with a particular focus on the whimsical and humorous observations of the author. The stories range from interactions with peculiar characters, such as a comically perceived “venerable impostor,” to depictions of unique incidents that arise within the city's neighborhoods, each painting a vivid portrait of life and social nuances during this period. The opening of "Urban Sketches" introduces us to the character referred to as a "Venerable Impostor," depicted humorously through the lens of an observer who remains fascinated and bemused by the old man's antics and mysterious background. The narrator describes his experiences interacting with this character, who is both child-like and otherworldly, evoking a sense of nostalgia and reflecting on the absurdities found in the everyday. Following this segment, the tone shifts with observations from a balcony, showcasing the rich tapestry of urban life filled with music, youthful romances, and social interactions, all underscored by Harte's sharp wit and keen insight into human behavior. This introduction sets the stage for a series of interconnected sketches, inviting readers to immerse themselves in the whimsical atmosphere of Victorian San Francisco. (This is an automatically generated summary.) en Short stories American fiction -- 19th century PS Text Browsing: History - American Browsing: Literature Browsing: Fiction 157099 157100 2024-10-02T03:55:28.763805 2023-10-02T04:09:04.897967 text/html text/html 155841 2021-01-27T13:40:52 text/html; charset=utf-8 57486 2021-01-27T13:40:52 text/html; charset=utf-8 application/zip 125770 2024-10-02T03:55:33.532793 application/epub+zip 127687 2024-10-02T03:55:30.624823 application/epub+zip 127688 2024-10-02T03:55:29.440760 application/epub+zip 219429 2024-10-02T03:55:35.880718 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 204483 2024-10-02T03:55:32.820767 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 180454 2022-09-02T04:55:37.013206 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 136479 136453 2024-10-02T03:55:28.441794 2023-10-02T04:09:04.652943 text/plain; charset=us-ascii text/plain 136866 2018-03-05T09:02:42 text/plain; charset=utf-8 54918 2018-03-19T10:22:02 text/plain; charset=utf-8 application/zip 136364 2006-05-21T12:13:20 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 54789 2006-05-21T12:13:46 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 22105 2024-10-02T03:55:36.003719 application/rdf+xml 10432 2024-10-02T03:55:29.985750 image/jpeg 2942 2024-10-02T03:55:29.713847 image/jpeg 123004 2024-10-02T03:55:28.778784 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia