The Heart Line by Gelett Burgess

The Heart Line is a collection of short stories by Gelett Burgess that explore the complexities of human emotions and relationships. The book features a variety of characters, each with their own unique struggles and triumphs. From tales of love and loss to stories of friendship and betrayal, The Heart Line offers readers a glimpse into the inner workings of the human heart.

By Gelett Burgess · First published 1897 · Genre: Romance, Satire, Drama · 23 chapters · 228,530 words

First lines

In the year 1877 the Siskiyou House, originally a third-class hotel patronized chiefly by mining men, had fallen into such disrepute that it was scarcely more than a cheap tenement. Its office was now frankly a bar-room; beside it, a narrow hallway plunged into the shabby, shadowy interior; here a steep stairway rose. Above were disconsolate rooms known to the police of San Francisco as the occasional resort of counterfeiters, confidence workers and lesser knaves; to the neighborhood the Siskiyou Hotel had a local reputation as being the home of Madam Grant, who occupied two rooms on the second floor.

What this Textopian page supports

The Heart Line is listed on Textopian as a novel by Gelett Burgess, dated 1897 CE.

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

• Work type: Novel
• Author: Gelett Burgess
• Date: 1897 CE
• Language: English
• Genres: Romance, Satire, Drama, Social Commentary, Literary Fiction
• Length: 228,530 words
• Structure: 23 chapters, 4,349 paragraphs
• Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)

Good citation fit

• Work identity for The Heart Line by Gelett Burgess
• 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 Heart Line?
• How does this novel by Gelett Burgess fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
• Where does Romance first become important in the reading?

Similar titles

• The Romantic In The Rain by G. K. Chesterton
• To Madame Garschine by Robert Louis Stevenson
• Love Songs by Sara Teasdale
• Narcissus by C. J. Dennis
• A Prelude by Francis Sherman
• The Lovers by C. J. Dennis

Genres

• Romance — The central plot revolves around romantic relationships and emotional entanglements.
• Satire — The narrative employs humor and irony to critique societal norms and behaviors.
• Drama — The story contains intense character development and emotional themes.
• Social Commentary — The book explores and critiques social issues and cultural practices of its time.

Tags

romance · poetry · love · heartbreak · emotions · relationships · literary · classic · sentiment · narrative · introspection · human experience

Contents

• Prologue
• The Palmist and Fancy Gray
• Tuition and Intuition
• The Spider's Nest
• The Paysons
• The Rise and Fall of Gay P. Summer
• Side Lights
• The Weaving of the Web
• Illumination
• Coming On
• A Look into the Mirror
• The First Turning to the Left
• The First Turning to the Right
• The Bloodsucker
• The Fore-Honeymoon
• The Reentrant Angle
• Tit for Tat
• The Materializing Seance
• A Return to Instinct
• Fancy Gray Accepts
• Masterson's Manoeuvres
• The Sunrise
• Epilogue

More by Gelett Burgess

• The Goop Directory of Juvenile Offenders Famous for Their Misdeeds (1913)
• Window-Smoochers (1904)
• A Low Trick (1903)
• When to Go (1904)
• Ain'T (1895)
• Nell the Nibbler (1906)
• Justice (1903)
• A Puzzle (1895)
• All works by Gelett Burgess