The Story of the Siren
The novel follows the story of a young woman, Mary, who is a siren. She is a beautiful and mysterious creature, living in a world of her own, and she is able to lure men to her with her enchanting voice. Mary is content with her life until she meets a young man, John, who is captivated by her beauty and her voice. He falls in love with her and she with him, and they embark on a passionate affair. However, Mary soon discovers that John is not who he seems. He is a married man, and his wife is determined to keep him away from Mary. Mary is forced to make a difficult decision: will she stay with John and risk losing her freedom, or will she leave him and return to her solitary life? The novel explores themes of love, freedom, and identity, as Mary struggles to find her place in the world. It is a captivating story of a woman's journey to find her true self.
By E.M. Forster · First published 1920 · Genre: Fantasy, Romance, Adventure · 4,426 words
First lines
Few things have been more beautiful than my note book on the Deist Controversy as it fell downward through the waters of the Mediterranean. It dived, like a piece of black slate, but opened soon, disclosing leaves of pale green, which quivered into blue. Now it had vanished, now it was a piece of magical india rubber stretching out to infinity, now it was a book again, but bigger than the book of all knowledge. It grew more fantastic as it reached the bottom, where a puff of sand welcomed it and obscured it from view. But it reappeared, quite sane though a little tremulous, lying decently open on its back, while unseen fingers fidgeted among its leaves.
What this Textopian page supports
The Story of the Siren is listed on Textopian as a short story by E.M. Forster, dated 1920 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: E.M. Forster
- Date: 1920 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Adventure, Mystery, Literary Fiction
- Length: 4,426 words
- Structure: 1 section, 73 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Story of the Siren by E.M. Forster
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering The Story of the Siren?
- How does this short story by E.M. Forster fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Fantasy first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
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- The Deans Watch by Erckmann Chatrian
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- Deserted by Edward Bellamy
- Hooking Watermelons by Edward Bellamy
Genres
- Fantasy — The Story of the Siren is a mythical tale about a siren, a creature from Greek mythology, which is a common element of fantasy literature.
- Romance — The Story of the Siren is a romantic story about a siren and a human, and the love they share.
- Adventure — The Story of the Siren follows the siren and the human on a journey of discovery and adventure.
- Mystery — The Story of the Siren contains elements of mystery as the siren and the human attempt to uncover the secrets of the siren's past.
Tags
20th century · English fiction · Fiction · Italy · Mermaids · Short stories · back · blue · book · born · came · child