Open-Air Life

Nansen, Fridtjof, 1861-1930Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 303K words
Chapters: 31

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.Freiluftleben by Fridtjof NansenAuthor: Nansen, Fridtjof, 1861-1930,Language: German, Class: SK: Agriculture: Hunting sports, Release Date: Jun 21, 2018

Editor's review

Freiluftleben (roughly, "outdoor life") is a German-language work by Fridtjof Nansen, classed by Project Gutenberg under hunting sports and agriculture. Nansen is known as a polar explorer and naturalist observer, and this book continues his close attention to the natural environment: it speaks largely from firsthand outdoor experience, discussing field activities, animal observation and ways of living in nature, with a distinct flavour of the Nordic outdoor tradition. It is not a systematic textbook but rather an outdoor essay written by a man of experience for the general public, combining practical know-how with a feel for and reflection on the rhythms of nature. For today's reader its value lies in offering a pre-industrial perspective on outdoor life, which can be read against modern outdoor ethics and nature conservation to bring out the differences of era. The original is in German and was written long ago, and some of the hunting material sits at odds with contemporary animal-protection positions, so it should be read critically.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Nordic outdoor traditions and nature writing
Advanced learners who want to practise reading German in the original
Readers studying early ideas of outdoor activity and hunting
Readers who enjoy explorers' essays and naturalist observation

Not a good fit for

Beginners expecting a modern outdoor manual
Animal-protection-minded readers sensitive to hunting descriptions
Readers with weak German who are unwilling to use reference tools

Reading tips

Read by theme, starting with the chapters on nature observation and the experience of outdoor life, and leaving the hunting details for later.
Jot down as you read any points that conflict with contemporary conservation thinking, building your own comparative notes.
German readers can read a chapter through first to grasp the register, then look up unfamiliar words, rather than translating word by word and slowing the pace.
Read with Nansen's background as an explorer in mind, placing the book's experience in the context of its time.

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

What is this book mainly about?

It is about outdoor life, covering field experience, nature observation and reflections on the relationship between people and nature, with a Nordic outdoor flavour. It is not a systematic manual but essayistic writing from an experienced practitioner, best read as nature writing and outdoor culture.

Is there much hunting content in the book?

The book is classified under hunting sports, so hunting is discussed. The exact extent should be judged from the original. Modern readers can treat this material as historical, noting how it differs from contemporary animal protection and outdoor ethics, rather than taking it as a guide to present-day behaviour.

Can I read it if my German is weak?

You can read selected parts with a dictionary and translation tools, though some feel for the language will be lost. If your aim is to understand the content, look at the table of contents and opening paragraphs of chapters to gauge difficulty, then start with short chapters; for smooth reading, an intermediate level of German or above is best.

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About the author

Nansen, Fridtjof, 1861-1930 Author

Fridtjof Nansen (1861–1930) was a Norwegian explorer, scientist and writer. His writing centres on polar exploration and on the nature and peoples of the Arctic, combining first-hand records of voyages and sledging expeditions with systematic surveys of the history of northern exploration. His best-known work, the two-volume Farthest North, interweaves diary and narrative to document an Arctic voyage with solid detail and a steady pace, while In Northern Mists examines early Arctic exploration with a broad vision and both historical and geographical value. He also wrote Eskimo Life, which concerns the daily life of Greenland's Inuit, and Freiluftleben, which records experiences of outdoor life in plain, vivid prose. Six of his works are held in this collection. Public information is limited, but his writing clearly rests on personal experience, values fact and observation, and has had a lasting influence on Arctic exploration literature and polar research.