Artists' Wives

Daudet, Alphonse, 1840-1897Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 150K words
Chapters: 16

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.Artists' Wives by Alphonse DaudetAuthor: Daudet, Alphonse, 1840-1897,Language: English, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Sep 5, 2007

Editor's review

Artists' Wives is a short work by the French writer Alphonse Daudet, included in Project Gutenberg's free eBook series as an English translation belonging to French literature (Class PQ). Daudet is known for his fine ironic touch; this book centers on the domestic life of artists, using marital relationships to reflect the tension between artistic creation and real-world circumstances. It is brief yet resonant. Readers can glimpse how nineteenth-century French literature observed social customs, and feel Daudet's narrative style, in which gentle mockery coexists with human warmth. As a public-domain eBook, it serves as an accessible introduction to Daudet's art of fiction, and suits readers interested in artists as subject matter and in the conflict between marriage and vocation for a commute or a short reading session. The English is not especially difficult, though it carries the feel of its period; reading with notes or an introduction is recommended. On the whole, it is a light but lingering vignette: do not expect grand narrative, yet craftsmanship shows in the details.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Chinese readers who want a short introduction to Daudet's fiction style
Those interested in artists' families and the relationship between marriage and creation
Literature lovers who need an English public-domain text for reading practice
Students of nineteenth-century French social customs and the short story

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a long plot and complex character arcs
Those who want a Chinese translation rather than the English original
Beginners entirely unfamiliar with the feel of nineteenth-century European literary language

Reading tips

Read through once for the story's direction, then revisit the details of irony and satire.
Take brief notes on period expressions to better understand the characters' circumstances and values.
Read alongside other Daudet stories to appreciate his narrative rhythm and characterization.
Read one or two pieces at a time and leave room for afterthought; avoid rushing.

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

What kind of work by Daudet is this?

It is a short narrative work by Daudet, included in English translation in Project Gutenberg's public-domain eBook series and classified as French literature. It is brief, with its focus not on elaborate plotting but on the tension between art and reality through the everyday relationship of an artist and his wife, bearing Daudet's customary gentle irony and observation of human nature.

Can I read this if my English is not good?

The text is a nineteenth-century English translation, with sentence patterns and wording that bear the marks of its time, but it is not especially difficult overall. Readers with intermediate English can finish it with a dictionary; if you only want the content, you may also read it alongside a Chinese translation. Beginners are advised to start with an introduction or summary before entering the original.

What background knowledge is needed to read this book?

No specialized research background is required, but some familiarity with nineteenth-century French society and artistic circles helps. Knowing the literary tradition Daudet belonged to makes it easier to appreciate the measure of his irony. Ordinary readers can also understand the book's conflicts over marriage, vocation, and self-fulfillment from life experience.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Daudet, Alphonse, 1840-1897 Author

Alphonse Daudet (1840–1897) was a French writer known for clear, brisk storytelling in a warm and slightly melancholy style. Forty of his works are held in this collection, including Lettres de mon moulin, Le petit chose, Tartarin de Tarascon and Le nabab. His writing often draws on the landscapes and customs of southern France, combining lively narration with concern for the fate of ordinary people, which gives it both readability and emotional depth. His works are categorized here as inspirational and coming-of-age, reflecting the lasting appeal of their themes of growth and struggle. Public information on the details of his life is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.