The Crowd

Roger DombreProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.2

Word count: 140K words
Chapters: 14

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.Folla by Roger DombreAuthor: Dombre, Roger, 1859-1914,Language: French, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Nov 21, 2007

Editor's review

Folla is a French-language literary work by the French author Roger Dombre, made available as a free electronic edition by Project Gutenberg and classified under French literature. Judging from the surviving materials, it belongs to the tradition of French popular narrative from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century, and its length and subject matter make it suitable as practice material for reading in the original French. Its value lies in the language itself: idiomatic French narration, dialogue and scene description expose learners to literary everyday expression rather than textbook-standard sentence patterns. For researchers, it is a sample for observing what French popular literature of the period looked like; for ordinary readers, it is a short-form reading experience in another language. It should be noted that the available materials provide no plot summary, so readers should not enter with fixed expectations and are better off approaching it with an open mind, attuned to the rhythm of the narrative and the texture of the language.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with some French who want to improve their feel for the language through reading in the original
Enthusiasts studying late-nineteenth-century French popular literature
General readers who enjoy short narratives and are willing to try reading in another language
Teachers and students who need French literary texts as supplementary course material

Not a good fit for

Readers with no French who need a Chinese translation to follow the text
Beginners who expect a detailed introduction, notes or background analysis
Readers who prefer contemporary subjects or fast-paced stories

Reading tips

Read through once without worrying about details to grasp the narrative thread, then go back to look up unfamiliar words and difficult points.
Keep a French dictionary and notes at hand, and build a personal vocabulary list from expressions and sentence patterns that recur.
Read in chapter-by-chapter segments, and after each segment summarize the gist in one or two sentences of French.
Pair the reading with an audiobook or read aloud to get a feel for the rhythm and tone of French.

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 there a Chinese translation of this book?

According to the available information, the book was released by Project Gutenberg in the original French, with no mention of a Chinese translation. Readers who want a Chinese version will need to look for other publishing sources. As for the electronic edition currently available, it is a French-language text suitable for readers with some reading ability in French.

What level of French do I need to read this book?

An intermediate level of French reading ability is recommended, enough to understand common tenses and basic literary sentence patterns. The book may contain older expressions and colloquial dialogue that beginners will find difficult. Try reading the first few pages; if there are too many unfamiliar words per page, it is better to build vocabulary with graded short readers first and come back to the challenge later.

Why is there no content summary in the available information?

The information provided contains only the author, language, classification and release details, with no plot outline. This recommendation therefore does not describe the story in specific terms, to avoid fabrication. Readers can treat the first reading as an exploration: read the opening portion to judge whether the subject and style suit their taste, then decide whether to read the whole book.

Is it suitable for use in French classes?

It can serve as supplementary reading material, especially for practicing comprehension of narrative texts and building vocabulary. Teachers will, however, need to prepare their own notes, background explanations and discussion questions, since the electronic edition generally contains no teaching aids. Using excerpts for close reading in class rather than assigning the whole book is recommended, to keep difficulty and class time manageable.

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About the author

Roger Dombre Author · French · 1859–1914

Roger Dombre (1859–1914) was a French writer of children's and young adult literature. Her real name was Andrée Sisson, née Ligerot, and she was born in Lyon; the pen name "Roger Dombre" appeared on her works for many years. She wrote more than a hundred books, most of them published by houses such as Mame and Gautier-Languereau. Four of her works are held in this collection, including Folla (1889), Nounou, Un tuteur embarrassé, and Une Pupille Genante. Writing for young readers, she favoured a warm and lively style, building her stories around everyday family life and the experiences of growing up, which made her popular with her audience. Public information about the details of her life is limited; what can be confirmed is chiefly the pen name, her nationality, her dates, and the publication history of her works.