Charlie

Fernand VandéremProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 387K words
Chapters: 39

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.Charlie by Fernand VandéremAuthor: Vandérem, Fernand, 1864-1939,Language: French, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Dec 19, 2013

Editor's review

This is a novel by the French writer Fernand Vandérem, in the original French and digitized by Project Gutenberg. Vandérem was active in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and his works often take urban life and human relationships as their subject, with an observant coolness and a subtle irony. This e-book edition preserves the French original without abridgment, making it suitable as French reading material. For learners of French, the novel form provides connected context and natural dialogue, which is better for developing a feel for the language than short excerpts; for lovers of French literature, it offers a chance to discover a writer little translated into Chinese. As you read, pay attention to shifts in narrative perspective and differences in tone in dialogue, for such details often carry the work's interest. Note that this is the French original with no Chinese parallel text.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Learners with intermediate or higher French reading ability who want to read original novels
Readers interested in French literature of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries
Literature enthusiasts who want to broaden their reading of French writers beyond the classics
Readers who like urban subjects and a subtly ironic tone

Not a good fit for

Ordinary readers with no French who need a Chinese translation
Readers who prefer works with intense plots and strong dramatic conflict
Beginners who want bilingual texts or annotations to aid comprehension

Reading tips

Advance chapter by chapter, and after each chapter summarize the content in two or three French sentences to check your understanding.
Collect recurring new words and memorize them in context rather than in isolation.
Before reading the main text, learn about the urban French society of the author's time to better grasp the details.

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 language is this book in?

The text is in the original French, a public-domain e-book released by Project Gutenberg with no Chinese translation or bilingual text, so readers need French reading ability to understand it smoothly.

What French level is suitable for reading this book?

An intermediate French level is suggested, with the ability to read longer narrative sentences and everyday dialogue and a willingness to use a dictionary for new words. Beginners may find it hard going and could start with bilingual readers as a transition.

Is the author Vandérem well known in the Chinese-speaking world?

Fernand Vandérem has been relatively little translated into Chinese and is less known than the famous French writers of his time. This book can serve as an entry point to his style, but readers should not expect abundant Chinese research materials for support.

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About the author

Fernand Vandérem Author · French · 1864–1939

Fernand Vandérem (1864–1939) was a French writer born in Paris, whose real name was Fernand-Henri Vanderheym; he published under the pen name Vandérem. A playwright, novelist and literary critic, he wrote both full-length and shorter works. Five of his books are held here, including the novels La Cendre, Les Deux Rives, La victime and Charlie, as well as Two Banks of the Seine, a narrative set against life on either side of the Seine. His collection of criticism, Le miroir des lettres, displays the ironic, incisive critical style that made him a distinctive voice in Belle Époque Paris. Public information is limited, but his surviving works show a coolly satirical eye for social manners, urban life and human weakness, leaving a personal mark on both fiction and criticism.