The Damokosok

Mór JókaiProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 341K words
Chapters: 35

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.A Damokosok by Mór JókaiAuthor: Jókai, Mór, 1825-1904,Language: Hungarian, Class: PH: Language and Literatures: Finno-Ugrian and Basque languages and literatures, Release Date: Nov 11, 2017

Editor's review

This work is a novel by Mór Jókai, a major nineteenth-century Hungarian novelist, presented in the original Hungarian and included in Project Gutenberg's free eBook library. Jókai is known for his Romantic portrayal of history and social life, and his narratives often combine legendary color with social observation; the title points to a Damocles' sword motif of fate, with the story unfolding around family, power, and crisis, allowing readers to experience the narrative rhythm and linguistic texture of nineteenth-century Hungarian literature. As a public-domain electronic text, it is suitable as supplementary reading for foreign literature courses, as close-reading material in the original for learners of Hungarian, or as leisure reading for readers interested in Central European historical fiction. Note that this is the original Hungarian edition, and the electronic version was proofread by volunteers, with relatively brief version information and notes; for in-depth research, it should be used alongside authoritative print editions or scholarly translations.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Hungarian majors who need the original text for language and literary training
Comparative literature readers interested in nineteenth-century Central European Romantic fiction
Readers with an interest in Hungarian history and culture and some foreign-language reading ability
Foreign literature instructors seeking public-domain texts as classroom supplements

Not a good fit for

General readers unfamiliar with Hungarian who wish to read a Chinese translation directly
Researchers requiring detailed scholarly annotation and textual collation
Readers who prefer fast-paced contemporary fiction and have limited patience for nineteenth-century narrative

Reading tips

First learn about Jókai's era and the background of Hungarian Romantic literature, then enter the main text.
Proceed chapter by chapter, noting unfamiliar words for later review rather than interrupting reading frequently.
Read alongside a Hungarian historical timeline to help understand characters' situations and social background.
If the language barrier is high, first read a Chinese translation of the same author's work to build a sense of the narrative.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a Chinese translation?

No. According to the information, the book is in Hungarian and is a public-domain electronic text released by Project Gutenberg; there is no Chinese translation, so readers need Hungarian reading ability or must rely on dictionaries and other aids.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg was the first project to provide free eBooks, and this book is a public-domain electronic text it released. Its advantages are that it is free, searchable, and portable; its shortcomings are that notes, introductions, and textual collation are usually brief, so it is not suitable as the sole scholarly basis.

What background knowledge is needed to read this book?

It is advisable first to learn about nineteenth-century Hungarian society and literature and about Jókai's Romantic narrative style. The title carries a metaphor of fate and crisis; reading with this thread makes it easier to grasp the plot's development and the characters' choices.

Comments

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About the author

Mór Jókai Author · Hungarian · 1825–1904

Mór Jókai (1825–1904) was the most important Hungarian novelist, playwright and revolutionary of the 19th century, and a major representative of Romantic literature. Born in Komárom, he took part in the 1848 Pest uprising and drafted the Twelve Points, and was later elected to parliament. His representative works include A Hungarian Nabob, The Baron's Sons, Black Diamonds and The Golden Man. Jókai's writing depicts Hungarian history and social change on a grand scale, with dramatic plots, vivid characters, romantic colour and national feeling; he is often compared with Dickens and Scott. His output was enormous: 106 of his works are held in this collection, and a hundred-volume collected edition appeared in 1894, evidence of his productivity and influence.