Josef Balsamo: A Historical Novel of the Court of Louis XV

Dumas, Alexandre, 1802-1870Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.9
Word count
1M words
Chapters
102

Tags

Foreign Language Books Historical Fiction Legendary LivesCourt IntriguePower GameAntihero18th-Century France

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.Josef Balsamo: Historiallinen romaani Ludvig XV:n hovista by Alexandre DumasAuthor: Dumas, Alexandre, 1802-1870,Language: Finnish, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Feb 2, 2017

Editor's review

This is the Finnish translation of Alexandre Dumas's historical novel Josef Balsamo, set in the court of Louis XV. The work revolves around court intrigue, mysterious figures, and power struggles, continuing Dumas's trademark historical narrative and dramatic plotting. The figure of Balsamo is often associated in popular literature with occult legends, and this book offers readers an accessible narrative entry point for observing the atmosphere of the eighteenth-century French court. The existence of the Finnish translation also makes it a piece of material for studying the spread and translation history of Dumas's works in the Nordic countries. Suitable for readers who can read Finnish and are interested in Dumas's historical novels or French court subjects; also suitable for translation researchers as a text for comparing translations. As a public-domain ebook, it is easy to obtain, but note that the language barrier is relatively high.

Who it's for

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Reading tips

  1. Before reading, first understand the basic outlines of court politics during the reign of Louis XV to better grasp the characters' positions
  2. Read alongside translations in other languages or the original to observe how the translator handles historical terms
  3. Read in plot-based sections to avoid being overwhelmed by dense names and court relationships
  4. After reading, organize a map of the main characters' relationships to help follow the threads of intrigue

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.

Contents

  1. 1
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FAQ

What language version is this book? This book is the Finnish translation; the original is Alexandre Dumas's French historical novel. The Finnish in the title indicates that it is intended for Finnish-language readers. Readers without Finnish ability need to use translations in other languages or the original to read the same work.
What period is the story set in? The story is set against the French court during the reign of Louis XV and involves court politics and intrigues among characters. In such historical novels, Dumas often interweaves real historical figures with fictional plots; readers can read it as popular historical narrative, but it should not be treated as strict historical source material.
Can I read this if I haven't read other works by Dumas? Yes, but Finnish reading ability is required. This book is a standalone historical novel narrative and does not depend on prior events from other works. However, Dumas's works have many characters and branching plots; readers new to his historical novels may first read works with more concentrated plots to become familiar with his style.

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About the author

Dumas, Alexandre, 1802-1870 Author

Alexandre Dumas (1802–1870) was a major French novelist and playwright of the nineteenth century. The collection here holds 133 of his works, including editions in several languages, which shows how widely they have circulated. His best-known works include The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, the latter often published in volumes such as Volume III, Volume II, Volume I, and Volume IV. His writing is usually set against historical backgrounds, with intricate plots and vivid characters, and he was skilled at unfolding grand narratives in serial form, combining adventure, rivalry, and legend. Both novels have been translated into many languages and frequently issued in illustrated editions, leaving a lasting influence on popular literature and on film and television adaptations. Public information is limited, so details of his life and critical assessments are not developed here; readers may discover his narrative appeal through the works themselves.