Cyrano de Bergerac: A Five-Act Heroic Play in Verse

Rostand, Edmond, 1868-1918Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 4.6
Word count
217K words
Chapters
22

Tags

Foreign Language Books Dramatic Literature Theatrical MasterpieceTragic LoveHeroismPoet FigureSelf-SacrificeClassical DramaComic ElementsScreen AdaptationSatirical StyleFrench Romance

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.Cyrano de Bergerac: Viisinäytöksinen runomittainen sankarinäytelmä by RostandAuthor: Rostand, Edmond, 1868-1918,Language: Finnish, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: May 28, 2017

Editor's review

This is a Finnish verse translation of Edmond Rostand's famous play Cyrano de Bergerac, a five-act heroic drama prepared and released by Project Gutenberg. The original, written in verse, revolves around Cyrano's brilliance, self-doubt, and deep love, combining the swagger of a swordsman with the sensitivity of a poet; it is one of the representative works of French Romantic drama. The value of this edition lies first in its language: the Finnish verse translation lets readers observe how rhythm and wit are rebuilt in another language, making it useful for comparative literature, translation studies, and Finnish learners. Second, the five-act structure is clear and highly theatrical, suitable for drama enthusiasts to read act by act and imagine the staging. Note that this is neither a Chinese translation nor an English facing-text edition; readers without Finnish will find it hard to enter the text directly. Even with Finnish, the word order and diction of verse translation are more convoluted than everyday language, so a slower pace is advisable. As a public-domain e-book, it is better suited as a text for research or language learning than as casual reading for a smooth story experience.

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Reading tips

  1. First learn the plot outline of the five-act play, then read act by act to reduce interruptions caused by the verse language
  2. Read the lines aloud or silently to feel the verse rhythm, which brings you closer to the original experience than word-for-word translation
  3. Finnish learners can read alongside an existing Chinese or English translation and mark the differences
  4. Drama enthusiasts can take staging notes act by act, imagining stage blocking and character movement

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.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22

FAQ

What language is this edition in? According to the materials, this is a Finnish translation; the language field lists Finnish, not Chinese or English, so readers need Finnish reading ability.
Can I read this Finnish edition without having read the original? Yes, but it is advisable to first learn the plot and character relationships through a Chinese or English translation before entering the Finnish verse text; otherwise it is easy to get lost in verse word order and allusions.
How does it differ from common translations of Cyrano de Bergerac? The main differences are language and style: this is a Finnish verse translation that preserves the five-act verse structure, suitable for studying translation choices and language rhythm rather than offering the prose reading experience familiar to Chinese readers.
Can I use it to learn Finnish? It suits intermediate and advanced learners as literary reading material. The verse language is more convoluted than everyday usage, so it is best used with a dictionary and a parallel translation, not as an introductory textbook.

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About the author

Rostand, Edmond, 1868-1918 Author

Edmond Rostand (1868–1918) was a French poet and playwright known for his verse dramas. His masterpiece, Cyrano de Bergerac, portrays a brilliant swordsman-poet who is ashamed of his appearance; with witty dialogue, romantic plotting and a blend of comedy and tragedy, it became one of the most frequently performed works in French theatre history. His other plays, including L'Aiglon and Chantecler, often draw on history or fable, featuring ornate language, strong rhythm and a preference for heroism and self-sacrifice. The library holds thirteen of his works, including various editions and foreign-language translations of these plays. Public information on his early education, official posts and awards is limited, so no speculation is offered here; his influence lies chiefly in the continuation of the verse-drama tradition and the wide circulation of the character Cyrano.