Le dîner interrompu

Ernest DoinProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 43K words
Chapters: 5

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.Le dîner interrompu by Ernest DoinAuthor: Doin, Ernest, 1809-1891,Language: French, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Aug 1, 2004

Editor's review

This work is a play by the nineteenth-century French author Ernest Doin and is one of the public-domain books digitized early by Project Gutenberg. Its value lies not in any grand plot but in offering a sample of nineteenth-century French popular theater taste: it is short, concentrated in setting, and builds its conflict around an interrupted dinner, making it suitable for experiencing the stage dialogue and character blocking of the period. As a French-language original, its difficulty is moderate, with sentence patterns bearing the marks of its era; it suits readers who already have some French reading ability and wish to approach classical French texts through a short play. It is best read as language material rather than as a literary classic, with attention to how dialogue rhythm and character relationships unfold within a limited space. Note that this edition is a public-domain electronic text without modern annotations or introduction, so the reading experience depends on the reader's familiarity with nineteenth-century French expression and dramatic form.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students with intermediate or higher French reading ability who want to practice original plays
Readers interested in nineteenth-century French popular theater and stage texts
Language learners who need short French dialogue material
Enthusiasts studying public-domain ebooks and early dramatic texts

Not a good fit for

Beginners with no French who need Chinese annotations or translation
Readers expecting a full-plot novel or long narrative
Researchers hoping for a modern editor's introduction and background notes

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the character relationships, then read the dialogue closely scene by scene, noting unfamiliar expressions.
Try reading aloud by role to feel the rhythm and pauses of nineteenth-century stage language.
Use a French dictionary for period usage; do not get stuck on every detail—focus on overall understanding.
After reading, summarize the conflict structure in a paragraph to check whether you have grasped the core.

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 Le dîner interrompu a novel or a play?

According to the information, it is a dramatic work by Ernest Doin, a public-domain text under French literature; it is short and driven mainly by dialogue and scenes, not a full-length novel. The specific acts and character information are not listed in the given information, so readers can judge from the text structure.

Can I read this book if my French is only average?

The text is nineteenth-century French in the original, with sentence patterns and wording characteristic of its time. If you already have intermediate reading ability, you can work through it paragraph by paragraph with a dictionary; if you are only a beginner, it is better to read a bilingual or annotated edition first and then return to the original, otherwise you may spend too much effort on unfamiliar expressions.

Does this edition have annotations or an introduction?

This edition comes from Project Gutenberg and is a public-domain electronic text; the given information mentions no modern annotations, introduction, or translator's notes. Readers need to supply background knowledge themselves or use other materials to learn about common forms of nineteenth-century French drama.

Is it suitable as French classroom material?

It can serve as supplementary reading for intermediate and advanced French classes, especially for practicing dialogue comprehension and role reading. However, because it lacks annotations, teachers need to prepare vocabulary lists and background explanations in advance and note that the period vocabulary may create comprehension obstacles for students.

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About the author

Ernest Doin Author · French · 1809–1891

Ernest Doin (1809–1891) was a French-born playwright and teacher. Born in Bourges in 1809, he later moved to North America and settled in Lower Canada, teaching in places such as Saint-Jean-de-Dieuville and La Prairie, and founding literary and dramatic societies that promoted local French-language cultural life. Four of his works are held in this collection, including Le dîner interrompu, Le Conscrit ou Le Retour de Crimée, Le divorce du tailleur, and Le pacha trompé ou Les deux ours. These plays are mostly French comedies; their titles suggest subjects drawn from everyday life, family relations, and town gossip, as well as military return and exotic themes. Written in a light style suited to the stage, they reflect his effort to connect immigrant communities and French-speaking audiences through theatre. Public information is limited, and details of his life and the influence of his works require further study. He died in Montreal in 1891.