Madmen

Looy, Jacobus van, 1855-1930Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 293K words
Chapters: 30

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.Gekken by Jacobus van LooyAuthor: Looy, Jacobus van, 1855-1930,Language: Dutch, Class: PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures, Release Date: Feb 4, 2009

Editor's review

Gekken is a work by the Dutch writer Jacobus van Looy (1855–1930), available from Project Gutenberg in Dutch. Van Looy was both a painter and a writer, and his prose often carries a keen eye for detail and a painterly quality. This book is suitable as supplementary reading for those interested in Dutch literature and late nineteenth-century European literature. The Gutenberg edition is a public-domain e-book, easy to search and carry around, but note that it is the original Dutch text, not a translation, so the barrier to entry lies mainly in the language rather than the length. Readers learning Dutch or studying the literary genealogy of the Low Countries may find it useful material for language practice and textual analysis; those seeking only plot-driven entertainment may not find it suitable. It is advisable to learn about the author's life and creative background before entering the text, to better appreciate its period atmosphere and narrative appeal.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Intermediate and advanced learners of Dutch who wish to improve their language sense through original texts
Readers studying late nineteenth-century Dutch literature or the literature of the Low Countries
Literature enthusiasts interested in texts by cross-disciplinary creators who are both painters and writers

Not a good fit for

General readers without Dutch reading ability who are accustomed only to Chinese translations
Readers expecting strong plot and fast-paced entertainment
Beginners in need of authoritative annotated editions or scholarly introductions

Reading tips

First look up Van Looy's life and creative background, then read the main text to understand how his painter's perspective influences the narrative.
Dutch learners can read a short section each day, marking new words and reading aloud, balancing language sense and comprehension.
Read alongside other Dutch literary works of the same period to observe similarities and differences in themes and styles of the era.
Use the e-edition's search function to organize clues about characters and scenes, and review the structure after finishing.

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 available information, Project Gutenberg holds the original Dutch text and does not mention a Chinese translation. For reading in Chinese, one would need to look up domestic publishing information separately; one cannot assume a translation exists.

Can I read it without any Dutch foundation?

Reading the original directly is not recommended. One could first use a dictionary or bilingual comparison tools, or choose an edition with an introduction; with no foundation at all, the reading difficulty will be great and the gain limited.

Is the Gutenberg edition suitable for academic citation?

The Gutenberg edition is convenient for obtaining the original text, but it usually lacks authoritative annotations and edition notes. Academic citation should be checked against authoritative print editions or academic databases; the e-edition can serve as an aid for reading and searching.

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About the author

Looy, Jacobus van, 1855-1930 Author · Dutch · 1855–1930

Jacobus van Looy (1855–1930) was a Dutch painter and writer, and a member of the "Eighties" literary movement. He combined talents in painting and writing, and his literary works are largely autobiographical. Two of his works are held in this collection, with Gekken and Proza as his representative titles. Gekken (meaning "Madmen") observes social outsiders from an artist's perspective, with delicate and gently ironic strokes; Proza collects his prose and short pieces, written in a realistic style and often drawn from personal experience. Because public information about his life and work is limited, this introduction relies only on the facts available here, without adding details about his specific experiences. Overall, his writing is natural and unpretentious, attentive to characters' psychology and everyday detail, echoing the "Eighties" movement's pursuit of authentic feeling and individual expression.