Comical People

Project GutenbergProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 71K words
Chapters: 8

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.Comical People by J. J. GrandvilleAuthor: ,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Nov 6, 2007

Editor's review

This is a public-domain eBook in the Project Gutenberg collection, credited to J. J. Grandville and classified as juvenile literature. Judging from the title and the illustrator's background, it is closer to a work pairing comic-style figure images with light text, suitable as an introduction to nineteenth-century European illustration traditions and humorous styles. As a public-domain eBook, its value lies not in sustained narrative but in showing how early illustrated reading matter created interest through exaggerated figures; readers can observe the relationship between character design, satirical drawing, and page layout. There is no need to seek plot coherence; it can be treated as a collection of visual material or casual browsing, and familiarity with Grandville's illustrative style will deepen its visual appeal. Since the original is in English and the genre is unusual, it is recommended for readers with some English reading ability and an interest in old illustrated books.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in nineteenth-century European illustration and comic traditions
Those who need public-domain illustrated material for design or teaching reference
Readers with some English who enjoy browsing old, curious books
Beginners studying early children's literature and visual narrative

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a complete plot or coherent narrative
Young readers with little English reading experience who need Chinese comparison
Readers seeking a systematic art-history treatise

Reading tips

First flip quickly through the images, noting recurring character designs and exaggerated techniques.
Choose pages of interest and read the accompanying text closely, noting echoes or contrasts between text and image.
Read alongside other public-domain illustrated books to observe shared tastes in nineteenth-century illustrated reading matter.
No need to read in page order; it works well as a desk reference collection of images for casual browsing.

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 a complete storybook?

From the available information, it is closer to illustrated reading matter made up of comic-style figures and light text than a long, coherently plotted story. Treat it as visual material or casual browsing rather than expecting a full narrative arc.

Can I read it if my English is average?

The original is in English, and the genre is old illustrated material; the text is not the main difficulty—the images are the core. Readers with average English can look at the pictures first, then use a dictionary to read selected short passages, without trying to read every word.

Is this suitable for children?

It is classified as juvenile literature, but the original is in English and the style is old, making independent reading difficult for young children. It is better suited to older children with some English reading ability browsing with an adult, or to adults studying illustration traditions.

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

Project Gutenberg Author

Project Gutenberg is not a single author but a nonprofit digital library founded by Michael Hart in 1971 and one of the world's earliest free ebook platforms. It relies on volunteers to digitize, proofread, and freely distribute public-domain works and is now operated by the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Its collection contains 2,692 works, mainly religious texts, epics, and story collections, including the King James Bible and the Douay-Rheims volumes, the epic Mahabharata, a literal translation of the Arabian Nights, and Danish editions of the Old and New Testaments. Public information is limited, and its nature is closer to a public-interest compiling and dissemination body; these texts are open to the public, easy to consult and circulate, and have had a profound influence on the spread of ebooks and the preservation of public-domain resources.