Kultala

Johann Heinrich Daniel ZschokkeProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 252K words
Chapters: 26

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. Kultala by Heinrich Zschokke. Author: Zschokke, Heinrich, 1771-1848. Language: Finnish. Class: PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures. Release Date: May 22, 2006.

Editor's review

This is the Finnish translation of the novella Kultala by the Swiss author Heinrich Zschokke, released by Project Gutenberg as a free ebook. Zschokke lived from the late eighteenth to the mid-nineteenth century, and his narrative works often carry a human touch and moral observation; this work likewise serves as a sample for understanding German-language literature as it circulated through minor-language translations rather than Chinese ones. The book's value for readers lies mainly in two aspects: first, as an early digitized title in Project Gutenberg, it shows the path by which public-domain books travel across countries and languages; second, the Finnish text itself offers material for readers studying Nordic languages or comparative translation. A reminder: this is not a popular bestseller for a general audience, but rather archival material in the history of literature and digital publishing. It suits slow reading at a quiet desk, with a dictionary or a parallel text at hand.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers learning Finnish who want short narratives for extensive reading practice
Scholars studying the circulation of nineteenth-century German literature and translations
Enthusiasts interested in the history of Project Gutenberg and public-domain ebooks
Literary readers accustomed to reading texts in languages other than English

Not a good fit for

General readers who read only Chinese or English and are unfamiliar with Finnish
Readers expecting the pace and strong plot conflicts of modern fiction

Reading tips

Read through once without worrying about full comprehension, then read closely paragraph by paragraph with a dictionary, noting new words and sentence patterns.
Pair it with Chinese or English translations of other works by Zschokke to compare narrative style and translations.
Treat the book as language material rather than entertainment, reading ten to fifteen pages at a time and taking notes.

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 is this edition in?

According to Project Gutenberg's records, the book is in Finnish; it is the Finnish translation of Zschokke's Kultala, not the German original or a Chinese translation. Some grounding in Finnish is needed before reading.

Why does a Swiss author have a Finnish edition?

Zschokke was a German-language writer whose works were widely translated in nineteenth-century Europe. Project Gutenberg collects translations that have entered the public domain, hence the Finnish version. This reflects how German literature actually circulated across languages at the time.

What should I keep in mind when reading the electronic edition?

This is a free public-domain ebook, formatted mainly as plain text and possibly lacking modern annotations. A reader with a built-in dictionary is recommended, along with your own background materials, so that the lack of notes does not hinder understanding.

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About the author

Johann Heinrich Daniel Zschokke Author · German, later Swiss · 1771–1848

Johann Heinrich Daniel Zschokke (1771–1848) was a German-born writer, historian, and political reformer who later became a Swiss citizen and spent most of his life in Switzerland. His writings span history, fiction, and popular literature. His major works include historical writings such as A History of the Swiss People and novels such as Alamontade and The Goldmaker's Village, while his devotional book Hours of Devotion enjoyed a very wide readership. Ten of his works are held in this collection, including The Black Brothers, The Broken Cup, and The Bravo of Venice. These works often deal with adventure, crime, and legend; their plots are lively and combine popular appeal with moral concern. His writings had a certain influence on German-language popular literature and the spread of Swiss Enlightenment thought.