Dr. Adriaan

Couperus, Louis, 1863-1923Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 472K words
Chapters: 48

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.Dr. Adriaan by Louis CouperusAuthor: Couperus, Louis, 1863-1923,Language: English, Class: PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures, Release Date: Dec 27, 2010

Editor's review

Dr. Adriaan is a novel by the Dutch writer Louis Couperus, part of his late-period work, with the English edition prepared and released by Project Gutenberg. Couperus is known for his delicate psychological portrayal and his dissection of upper-class life in The Hague, and this book continues his sustained attention to family relations, social class, and individual fate. Readers will find a picture of European urban life in the late nineteenth century and characters wavering between tradition and change. As a public-domain ebook, it is easily accessible and suitable as an introductory read for understanding the development of the novel after the Dutch Golden Age of literature. When reading, pay attention to the narrative rhythm and the hints in characters' dialogue, which reveal the author's craft more than the plot itself. For readers of classic literature who enjoy a slow pace and emphasis on atmosphere and psychological depiction, this book is worth reading with patience; those expecting strong dramatic conflict or a fast-paced story may find it flat.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Dutch literature and European classic fiction
Literary fans who enjoy psychological depiction and slow-paced family narratives
Students of literature and history studying late nineteenth-century European social life
Readers who want low-threshold access to Couperus through public-domain ebooks

Not a good fit for

Readers of popular fiction who prefer fast pacing and strong plot conflict
Readers unaccustomed to the language style of nineteenth-century translated literature
Readers seeking systematic knowledge of Dutch history from this book

Reading tips

Read the preface or author introduction first to understand Couperus's background before starting the text
Proceed chapter by chapter, noting social hints in dialogue and psychological description
Use maps or background materials to reconstruct the Hague setting of the story
After finishing, revisit key family scenes to sort out character relationships and thematic threads

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 the English edition easy to read?

This is an English public-domain ebook provided by Project Gutenberg. Its language belongs to literary English of the late nineteenth to early twentieth century, with long sentences and detailed description. Readers with college-level English can work through it with a dictionary, but should not expect a light, quick read.

What is Couperus's place in Dutch literature?

Louis Couperus was an important Dutch novelist of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, known for depicting upper-class Hague society and colonial life, with work emphasizing psychological portrayal and atmosphere. This book belongs to his later period and is suitable as supplementary reading for understanding his style.

Is this book suitable as a Dutch history reader?

This is a work of literature, not a history book. Although it reflects the social atmosphere of the time, it does not offer systematic historical narrative or source criticism. For learning Dutch history, pair it with dedicated history books and use this novel as evocative background material.

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

Couperus, Louis, 1863-1923 Author

Louis Couperus (1863–1923) was a Dutch novelist whose life is little documented in the Chinese-speaking world, and public information about him is limited. He was a prolific writer, and this site holds more than twenty-three of his works, many of which deal with personal growth and life transitions and are commonly classified under inspirational growth. His representative works include The Hidden Force: A Story of Modern Java, Eline Vere, Small Souls, The Later Life, Old People and the Things That Pass, The Twilight of the Souls, Noodlot, and Travel Impressions. His writing often reveals human fate through delicate psychological portrayal and an ironic tone, combining realism with aestheticism, and has had a lasting influence on Dutch literature.