King Candaules

Gautier, Théophile, 1811-1872Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 116K words
Chapters: 12

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.King Candaules by Théophile GautierAuthor: Gautier, Théophile, 1811-1872,Language: English, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Sep 18, 2007

Editor's review

This short work by the French writer Théophile Gautier takes as its subject the legend of Candaules, king of Lydia in ancient Greece, and is distributed free of charge by Project Gutenberg as an English-language ebook. Gautier was a major figure in nineteenth-century French Romanticism and Aestheticism; in handling classical subjects he was often not content to retell myth but blended sensory description, exotic imagination, and reflection on art and human nature. Readers can thus see how a French writer retold the ancient story found in Herodotus and sense how nineteenth-century literature re-created classical material. The book is short and serves well as an introductory text for understanding Gautier's creative profile, and also for readers interested in the reception history of ancient Greek legend in modern European literature. Because it is a public-domain ebook, the barrier to reading lies mainly in language and background knowledge rather than length.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in French Romantic literature who want to understand Gautier's creative profile
Readers concerned with how ancient Greek legend has been rewritten in modern European literature
Learners accustomed to reading English public-domain ebooks who are willing to supplement background information on their own
Teachers and students who need a short text as classroom material for comparative literature or the history of classical reception

Not a good fit for

Readers hoping for systematic mythological scholarship or historical research
Readers who prefer modern vernacular Chinese translations and do not wish to read the English original
Readers of popular fiction expecting lengthy plotting and complex character arcs

Reading tips

First consult Herodotus's original account of Candaules, then compare it with Gautier's rewriting, noting where the author adds, cuts, or emphasizes.
While reading, pay attention to Gautier's treatment of vision, desire, and voyeurism; this is the entry point for understanding his Aestheticist leanings.
It can be read alongside short stories by other nineteenth-century French writers who drew on classical material, comparing their respective ways of imagining the ancient world.
If reading English is difficult, read a Chinese summary first and then return to the original, focusing on experiencing the language and descriptive detail.

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 language version is this book?

This is the English-language ebook released by Project Gutenberg; the original work was written by the French author Gautier, and what readers read here is the English text. If a Chinese translation is needed, other publishing sources must be sought separately.

Do I need to know Greek mythology before reading?

You need not read through the whole mythological system, but knowing the general outline of the Candaules legend will help. It is advisable first to look up the relevant passage in Herodotus's Histories and then read this book, so that Gautier's emphases in rewriting become clearer.

Is this book suitable for classroom use?

It is suitable as short supplementary material for discussing modern rewritings of classical subjects, narrative perspective, and the theme of desire. Because it is a public-domain ebook, teachers need to prepare their own background handouts and Chinese supporting materials.

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About the author

Gautier, Théophile, 1811-1872 Author

Théophile Gautier (1811–1872) was a French poet, novelist and critic, with 24 works held in this collection. His verse collection Émaux et camées (Enamels and Cameos) is known for its finely wrought language and pursuit of formal beauty, and is regarded as a practice of the doctrine of art for art's sake; the two volumes of Poésies Complètes gather his poetry. In fiction, Mademoiselle de Maupin and One of Cleopatra's Nights and Other Fantastic Romances display his romantic and fantastical narrative interests. Gautier's style attends closely to color, line and sensory experience, and influenced later aesthetic literature. Public information is limited, so biographical details are not elaborated here.