The Decameron

Mór JókaiProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 530K words
Chapters: 54

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.Dekameron (2. rész) by Mór JókaiAuthor: Jókai, Mór, 1825-1904,Language: Hungarian, Class: PH: Language and Literatures: Finno-Ugrian and Basque languages and literatures, Release Date: Jan 28, 2018

Editor's review

This is the second part of Mór Jókai's Dekameron, in the original Hungarian and published as a public-domain eBook by Project Gutenberg. Jókai is known for his strong storytelling and romantic color; this book uses a Decameron-style frame to organize its stories, letting readers experience the storytelling tradition and linguistic flavor of nineteenth-century Hungarian literature. As a sequel, it is better suited to readers who have already read the first part or are familiar with Jókai's style. The electronic edition is easy to search for characters and motifs and is also suitable for language learners doing original-text reading practice. When reading, don't rush the plot; pay attention to the story-within-a-story structure, the narrator's tone, and the social customs reflected. For readers studying Central and Eastern European literature or the Hungarian language, this is a usable public-domain text sample.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who know Hungarian and want to read Jókai's works
Readers studying Central and Eastern European literature or nineteenth-century narrative fiction
Readers who enjoy framed story collections and can accept a slow-paced narrative
Readers who need a Hungarian public-domain text for language learning and excerpting

Not a good fit for

Readers who cannot read Hungarian and have no translation to rely on
Readers expecting standalone stories that require no prior volume
Readers who prefer modern fast-paced fiction and have limited patience for classical narrative

Reading tips

If you haven't read the first part, first learn the origins of the Decameron-style frame before entering this volume, to avoid losing track of characters and threads.
After finishing each story, note the narrator and core conflict in one sentence to help grasp the book's structure.
The Hungarian original can be read aloud alongside audio resources; start with shorter stories to gradually adapt to the language style.
Compare the stories with the frame of Boccaccio's Decameron, noting how Jókai handles the storytelling tradition and local subject matter.

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

Can I read this directly without having read the first part?

This is the second part of Dekameron. Although it may contain relatively independent stories, the frame and character threads are related to the previous volume. It is advisable to read the first part first, or at least understand its structure, before entering this volume for a more coherent reading experience.

What is the relationship between this book and Boccaccio's Decameron?

Judging from the title and the materials, Jókai borrowed the Decameron-style frame to organize his stories, but the specific content differs from Boccaccio's work. When reading, pay attention to how the frame is borrowed and how Jókai applies this form to his own subjects and narration.

Is this electronic edition suitable for researchers?

As a Project Gutenberg public-domain text, it facilitates full-text search, excerpting, and citation, and is suitable for text-level research. However, it provides no modern scholarly annotation or introduction; researchers need to verify edition information themselves and supplement background materials.

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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.