A House-Boat on the Styx
'A House-Boat on the Styx' Summary
The premise of the book is that everyone who has ever died (up to the time in which the book is set, which seems to be about the time of its publication) has gone to Styx, the river that circles the underworld.
The book begins with Charon, ferryman of the Styx being startled—and annoyed—by the arrival of a houseboat on the Styx. At first afraid that the boat will put him out of business, he later finds out that he is actually to be appointed the boat's janitor.
What follows are eleven more stories (for a total of twelve) which are set on the house boat. There is no central theme, and the purpose of the book appears to be as a literary thought experiment to see what would happen if various famous dead people were put in the same room with each other. Each chapter is a short story featuring various souls from history and mythology. In the twelfth chapter the house boat disappears, leading into the sequel, The Pursuit of the House-Boat.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1895Author
John Kendrick Bangs
United States
John Kendrick Bangs was an American author, humorist, editor and satirist. He was born in Yonkers, New York. His father Francis N. Bangs was a lawyer in New York...
More on John Kendrick BangsDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
Tales from Shakespeare by Charles Lamb
Tales from Shakespeare is an English children's book written by the siblings Charles and Mary Lamb in 1807, intended "for the use of young persons" wh...
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night (Arabian Nights) Volume 10 by Richard Francis Burton
One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in Englis...
The House of the Wolfings by William Morris
The House of the Wolfings is a romantically reconstructed portrait of the lives of the Germanic Gothic tribes, written in an archaic style and incorpo...
Legend Land Volume 1 by Lyonesse (George Barham)
Legend Land is a collection of some of the OLD TALES told in those Western Parts of Britain served by the GREAT WESTERN RAILWAY, now retold by LYONESS...
The Enchanted Castle by Edith Nesbit
A children’s fantasy novel first published in 1907, The Enchanted Castle recounts the marvelous adventures encountered by a curious group of children...
The Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night (Arabian Nights), Volume 02 by Richard Francis Burton
One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in Englis...
True Stories of Wonderful Deeds by Anonymous
It is a compilation of inspiring tales showcasing acts of kindness and heroism performed by ordinary people. The author of this book remains anonymous...
Invisible Links by Selma Lagerlof
Invisible Links (Osynliga länkar) is a collection of short stories with an underlying theme about the links that influence and guide people’s actions...
Stories of Old Greece and Rome by Emilie Kip Baker
The Stories of Old Greece and Rome is an easy to read summary of all of the famous and not so famous Greek and Roman mythological stories. All of the...
The Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night (Arabian Nights), Volume 06 by Richard Francis Burton
One Thousand and One Nights is a collection of Middle Eastern folk tales compiled in Arabic during the Islamic Golden Age. It is often known in Englis...
Reviews for A House-Boat on the Styx
No reviews posted or approved, yet...