Up and Down by E.F. Benson (1903)

Name: Up and Down
Author: E.F. Benson

In "Up and Down," by E.F. Benson, the protagonist, Mr. George, is a man who is obsessed with his own mortality. He spends his days pacing around his garden, contemplating his own demise, and the futility of life. Despite his wealth and privilege, he feels trapped and unhappy, and seeks solace in his own thoughts and reflections. The story is a bleak exploration of the human condition, and the futility of trying to find meaning or purpose in life.

By E.F. Benson · First published 1903 · Genre: Fiction, Satire, Comedy · 12 chapters · 100,121 words

First lines

I do not know whether in remote generations some trickle of Italian blood went to the making of that entity which I feel to be myself, or whether in some previous incarnation I enjoyed a Latin existence, nor do I greatly care: all that really concerns me is that the moment the train crawls out from its burrowings through the black roots of pine-scented mountains into the southern openings of the Alpine tunnels, I am conscious that I have come home. I greet the new heaven and the new earth, or, perhaps more accurately, the beloved old heaven and the beloved old earth; I hail the sun, and know that something within me has slept and dreamed and yearned while I lived up in the north, and wakes again now with the awakening of Brunnhilde.

What this Textopian page supports

Up and Down is listed on Textopian as a novel by E.F. Benson, dated 1903 CE.

This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.

Work type: Novel
Author: E.F. Benson
Date: 1903 CE
Language: English
Genres: Fiction, Satire, Comedy
Length: 100,121 words
Structure: 12 chapters, 925 paragraphs
Reading fit: Fairly Difficult (10th-12th Grade)

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Genres

Fiction — The book is a work of prose literature that describes imaginary events and people.
Satire — The book employs humor, irony, and exaggeration to criticize or ridicule social or human vices.
Comedy — The book utilizes humor and entertainment throughout its narrative.