L'Immortel

Daudet, Alphonse, 1840-1897Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 377K words
Chapters: 38

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'Immortel by Alphonse DaudetAuthor: Daudet, Alphonse, 1840-1897,Language: French, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Jul 19, 2004

Editor's review

L'Immortel is a late satirical novel by Alphonse Daudet, set against the backdrop of the Académie française and portraying a man of letters who spends his life scheming to join the ranks of the "Immortals." With a gentle yet sharp touch, Daudet exposes the vanity, calculation, and social networks behind academic honors, his satire tinged with compassion. The work is well structured, its ensemble of characters vividly drawn, and its depiction of nineteenth-century Parisian literary circles and high society has considerable value as historical material. This is the original French edition, released as an eBook by Project Gutenberg; it is suitable as French-literature reading material and as a reference for readers studying French literary institutions and academic culture. As you read, pay attention to how the author builds satire through everyday detail, and to the tension between personal ambition and institutional honor embodied in the title of "Immortal."

Who it's for

A good fit for

Intermediate to advanced French learners who wish to read a nineteenth-century French novel in the original
Readers interested in French literary institutions and the history of the Académie française
Literature lovers who enjoy social satire and works about literary life
Students researching the late style and realist tendencies of Daudet's writing

Not a good fit for

French beginners, for whom the original's long sentences and period vocabulary pose a high barrier
Readers of popular fiction who prefer fast-paced plots and strong conflict
Beginners seeking an author biography or a heavily annotated edition

Reading tips

First learn the basics of the Académie française's "Immortal" system, then begin the text.
Read with a French dictionary at hand, marking period vocabulary related to the Academy and the salon.
Follow the protagonist's social strategies and psychological shifts, and sketch a map of the characters' relationships.
After finishing, compare with other works by Daudet to observe changes in his satirical tone.

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 book the original French edition or a Chinese translation?

According to the available information, the book's language is French; it is a French-language eBook released by Project Gutenberg, not a Chinese translation. Some French reading ability is required; a dictionary or bilingual companion materials are recommended.

Can I understand it without a background in French literature?

Yes, but grasping what the satire targets requires some background knowledge. It is advisable to first learn about the nature of the Académie française and the meaning of the title "Immortal," then read the text; this makes the characters' motives and the satirical thrust of the plot easier to grasp.

What is a good way to read the eBook?

The Project Gutenberg eBook is easy to search and excerpt, making it suitable for close reading on an electronic device. Take notes on the relationships between characters and institutions as you read, or read in sections, reviewing the satirical threads after each chapter to avoid fatigue from long sentences.

Comments

Find this book

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Daudet, Alphonse, 1840-1897 Author

Alphonse Daudet (1840–1897) was a French writer known for clear, brisk storytelling in a warm and slightly melancholy style. Forty of his works are held in this collection, including Lettres de mon moulin, Le petit chose, Tartarin de Tarascon and Le nabab. His writing often draws on the landscapes and customs of southern France, combining lively narration with concern for the fate of ordinary people, which gives it both readability and emotional depth. His works are categorized here as inspirational and coming-of-age, reflecting the lasting appeal of their themes of growth and struggle. Public information on the details of his life is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.