The Adulteress: A Novel

Theodor FontaneProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.0

Word count: 283K words
Chapters: 29

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.L'Adultera: Roman by Theodor FontaneAuthor: Fontane, Theodor, 1819-1898,Language: German, Class: PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures, Release Date: Aug 28, 2016

Editor's review

L'Adultera: Roman is a novel by Theodor Fontane written in German, with its electronic text provided by Project Gutenberg. Fontane's novels are known for close social observation, natural dialogue, and a cool analysis of marriage and class, and this work is well suited to observing how he handles the tension between emotional transgression and Berlin social opinion. Its value lies in the clash between characters' psychology and social norms rather than in dramatic plot development; the narrative pace is unhurried and detail is laid on thickly, so readers need patience to follow the accumulation of dialogue and scene. For readers studying German literature, researching the nineteenth-century German social novel, or interested in the theme of marital ethics, this is a text worth reading closely. The electronic edition is in the original German; if your German is not yet proficient, learn the outline of the story first before entering the original text, so as not to give up midway because of the language barrier.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Advanced students of German literature who need reading material in the original
Readers researching nineteenth-century German novels of society and marriage
Literature lovers who enjoy psychological portrayal and socially observant narrative
Learners who wish to improve their German reading through close reading of the original

Not a good fit for

General readers with no German at all who seek only a Chinese translation
Readers of genre fiction who prefer strong plot and fast-paced narrative
Readers with no interest in marriage ethics and social-circle subject matter

Reading tips

First learn the background and character relationships from Chinese or English materials, then enter the German original.
Proceed chapter by chapter; after each chapter, summarize the change in the characters' situation in one sentence to keep details from overwhelming the main line.
Pay attention to social phrasing and implication in dialogue; this is key to understanding the characters' positions.
If the language is difficult, read the key chapters first, then go back to fill in the preparatory sections, maintaining continuity of reading.

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

In what language is this book written?

The original is in German. Project Gutenberg provides a German electronic text, not a Chinese translation. Readers need some German reading ability, or a dictionary and supplementary materials, to read it smoothly.

Is this novel by Fontane suitable for beginners?

It can serve as one entry point to Fontane, but it is not plot-driven and its pace is slow. If you are new to this author, it is advisable to learn about his style and the background of the era first, then decide whether to begin close reading with this work.

What background should I know before reading?

It is advisable first to learn about the social atmosphere, views of marriage, and modes of class interaction in nineteenth-century Germany, especially Berlin. This background helps in understanding the characters' choices under the pressure of public opinion and makes the subtle meanings in dialogue clearer.

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About the author

Theodor Fontane Author · German · 1819–1898

Theodor Fontane (1819–1898) was a German writer of critical realism and a poet, born in Neuruppin, Brandenburg. He worked early in life as a pharmacist and journalist, reported from England, and later served as drama critic for the Vossische Zeitung; these experiences gave him rich material for social observation. In his later years he turned to fiction, and his major works include Effi Briest, Schach von Wuthenow, Der Stechlin, and the four-volume Wanderungen durch die Mark Brandenburg. His writing often draws on Berlin bourgeois society and local Brandenburg life, with delicate psychological portrayal and attention to such real issues as marriage and honour; his restrained, ironic style earned him recognition as a founder of the modern German realist novel. The library holds seven of his works.