Hokusai

Edmond de GoncourtProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.4

Word count: 427K words
Chapters: 43

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.Hokousaï by Edmond de GoncourtAuthor: Goncourt, Edmond de, 1822-1896,Language: French, Class: ND: Fine Arts: Painting, Release Date: Jul 1, 2006

Editor's review

This study of Hokusai by Edmond de Goncourt, one of the Goncourt brothers, is an important nineteenth-century French literary figure's examination of Japanese ukiyo-e. With a connoisseur's eye, the author surveys Katsushika Hokusai's life and work in a delicate, even literary Goncourt style, discussing not only paintings but the artist's temperament and the atmosphere of his time. For today's readers, its value lies less in complete historical verification than in the window it offers: a French writer's understanding and admiration of Japanese art, a cross-cultural gaze that is itself material for art history and reception history. Written in French and not long, it suits extended reading after an introduction to ukiyo-e and readers interested in nineteenth-century European Japonisme. It should be read as a personal, historically situated document rather than a modern scholarly biography of Hokusai.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Enthusiasts who already know something of ukiyo-e and Katsushika Hokusai and want to read further
Readers studying nineteenth-century European Japonisme and art reception history
Readers who enjoy literary art essays and do not demand strict scholarship
French learners with reading ability who want to engage with the original text

Not a good fit for

Complete beginners who know nothing of Hokusai and ukiyo-e and need a systematic introduction
Researchers expecting rigorous modern scholarly biography, chronology, and verification
Foreign-language readers who read only Chinese and will not use translations or reference tools

Reading tips

First browse a catalog of Hokusai's representative works to build a visual impression, then read the book, so the text is not without images for reference.
Read it as a reception-history document, noting the author's evaluative language and French taste rather than verifying every fact.
The French original is limited in length; read it alongside a reliable translation or annotated edition, and note names and picture titles as you go.
After finishing, compare with Hokusai chapters in other general histories of Japanese art to appreciate differences in cultural perspective.

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 this a complete biography of Hokusai?

No. It is more a critical biography written by Goncourt as a connoisseur, focusing on the artist's art and temperament with clear personal judgment and a literary tone; it is not a complete biography verified against extensive sources in the modern sense, and readers should not use it as a chronological reference work.

Can I read this book without knowing French?

The original is in French, and direct reading requires some French. Readers without French can look for a reliable Chinese or English translation, or use it as a source lead for understanding nineteenth-century French interest in Japan; using it with a translation and picture catalog is smoother.

What background knowledge do I need before reading?

It is best to know first what ukiyo-e is, roughly when Katsushika Hokusai was active, and to have seen images of representative works such as Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji. With that visual and background foundation, Goncourt's commentary is less likely to be mistaken for literal history.

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

Edmond de Goncourt Author · French · 1822–1896

Edmond de Goncourt (1822–1896) was a French writer and critic of literature and art, born in Nancy, and the founder of the Académie Goncourt and the Prix Goncourt. He worked for many years in collaboration with his younger brother Jules, championing a realist method grounded in observation and documentation, an approach that runs through his fiction and his art writing. His representative works include Germinie Lacerteux, La maison d'un artiste, and the Journal des Goncourt; the collection also holds works such as Hokousaï and La fille Elisa. Public information on his early education and private life is limited, so no speculation is offered here. Overall, he worked in both fiction and art history, his journal offers a detailed record of nineteenth-century French literary life, and the Prix Goncourt extends his influence.