Spasm

Federico De RobertoProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 401K words
Chapters: 41

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.Espasmo by Federico De RobertoAuthor: De Roberto, Federico, 1861-1927,Language: Spanish, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Oct 3, 2008

Editor's review

Espasmo is a Spanish-language work by the Italian author Federico De Roberto and a public-domain literary ebook. De Roberto is known for his verismo writing, and this book continues his attention to character psychology and social reality; it is short in length yet presents emotional tension and observations of human nature within a compact narrative. For readers familiar with Italian verismo literature, it is a work worth including in their field of view; for Spanish learners, it offers original-language material for encountering late nineteenth-century literary language. Because this is a public-domain edition, the book has no modern annotations or introduction, and reading it requires some Spanish proficiency and literary background knowledge. Overall, it is better suited as extended literary reading than as a first choice for beginners.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literature enthusiasts with some Spanish reading ability
Readers interested in Italian verismo literature who wish to expand their reading list
Readers studying late nineteenth-century European literature who need original-language material
Readers who enjoy short narratives with psychological description and social observation

Not a good fit for

Spanish beginners or readers who need bilingual support
Readers who prefer light entertainment reading and lack patience for literary narrative
Classroom users seeking detailed annotations and introductions

Reading tips

Before reading, learn the basic features of De Roberto and Italian verismo to help grasp the narrative intent.
Read through once to grasp the plot and character relationships, then revisit key passages of psychological description.
When reading in Spanish, keep reference works or an electronic dictionary on hand; for long sentences, identify the main structure first and then fill in details.
If used for a course or reading group, pair it with brief introductions to the author's other works for cross-comparison.

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

How difficult is the Spanish in this book?

As a late nineteenth-century literary text, its language carries the style of the period, with rather long sentences; the vocabulary is not especially obscure but requires some accumulation. Readers with intermediate or higher Spanish reading ability will find it fairly smooth; beginners are advised to use supporting tools or read a bilingual edition first.

Who is De Roberto, and do I need to know about him first?

Federico De Roberto was an Italian writer commonly associated with verismo literature. Understanding this movement's focus on social reality and character psychology can help readers understand the narrative orientation of this book. It is possible to read without prior knowledge, but background knowledge gives the reading more direction.

Will the lack of annotations in the public-domain edition affect comprehension?

It will have some effect, especially regarding period background, place names, or cultural allusions. It is advisable to have a Spanish dictionary on hand while reading and to consult external materials when something is unclear. If you are only experiencing the narrative and characters, the effect is relatively limited.

Comments

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About the author

Federico De Roberto Author · Italian · 1861–1927

Federico De Roberto (1861–1927) was an Italian verismo writer. Born in Naples, he moved with his family to Catania in early childhood. He began his career in journalism and associated with leading verismo writers such as Verga and Capuana, whose influence shaped his own fiction. His masterpiece, I Viceré, traces the rise and fall of a Sicilian aristocratic family to reflect the social changes around Italian unification; his other works include L'Illusione, Ermanno Raeli, Documenti Umani and Catania. His fiction focuses chiefly on Sicilian society and historical change, with a precise, restrained style and close attention to psychology and social observation. Twelve of his works are held in the collection. Public information on his life and writing is limited and calls for further study.