Derues

Dumas, Alexandre, 1802-1870Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.2

Word count: 246K words
Chapters: 25

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.Derues by Alexandre DumasAuthor: Dumas, Alexandre, 1802-1870,Language: English, Class: HV: Social sciences: Social pathology, Social and Public Welfare, Release Date: Sep 22, 2004

Editor's review

Beyond long masterpieces such as The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, Dumas also wrote works drawn from real cases; this book centers on the figure of Derues. The Project Gutenberg edition is an English public-domain ebook, classified under social pathology and public welfare in the social sciences. For Chinese readers its value lies mainly in two things: observing how Dumas turns historical case material into narrative, and understanding nineteenth-century French society and its judicial environment through an individual case. This is not light entertainment; it suits a reader with an inquiring mind, who can treat it both as a piece of Dumas's writing genealogy and as a historical text on crime and society. The electronic edition is easy to obtain and suits segmented reading during commutes or spare moments; afterward, consulting background on the period will help clarify the author's choices in shaping his material.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who have read Dumas's major novels and want to expand their view of his oeuvre
Readers interested in literature adapted from real cases and in crime narratives
History enthusiasts who want to learn about nineteenth-century French society through literature
Learners used to reading English public-domain ebooks who can accept an older style

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting adventure and romance in the manner of The Three Musketeers
Readers who prefer fast-paced modern suspense and are unused to older narrative styles
Readers who struggle with English and need a Chinese translation alongside

Reading tips

Read the preface or ending first to grasp the outline of the case, then return to see how Dumas arranges the narrative order.
Read one or two chapters a day and note how the author handles character motivation.
After finishing, look up materials on nineteenth-century French justice and society and compare them with the book's descriptions.
Compare it with other Dumas works drawn from history to observe how he selects and shapes his material.

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 book a novel or a record of a real case?

It is a narrative work by Dumas drawn from real people and cases—neither a purely fictional romance nor a strict compilation of historical sources. Watch how the author negotiates between fact and literary elaboration, and read it as literature rather than as a judicial file.

Can I read it without having read other works by Dumas?

Yes. It has no plot connection to Dumas's musketeer or revenge novels, so no prior reading is required. But familiarity with his usual way of handling historical material will make it easier to see the features of this book.

What should I keep in mind when reading the English public-domain ebook?

The Gutenberg edition is in the original English, with style and punctuation bearing the marks of its era. A reading app with a dictionary is advisable; with long sentences, grasp the main clause first. Reading in installments is easier to digest than reading straight through.

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

Dumas, Alexandre, 1802-1870 Author

Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870) was a major French novelist and playwright of the nineteenth century. The collection here holds 133 of his works, including editions in several languages, which shows how widely they have circulated. His best-known works include The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, the latter often published in volumes such as Volume III, Volume II, Volume I, and Volume IV. His writing is usually set against historical backgrounds, with intricate plots and vivid characters, and he was skilled at unfolding grand narratives in serial form, combining adventure, rivalry, and legend. Both novels have been translated into many languages and frequently issued in illustrated editions, leaving a lasting influence on popular literature and on film and television adaptations. Public information is limited, so details of his life and critical assessments are not developed here; readers may discover his narrative appeal through the works themselves.