The Infidel

Serao, Matilde, 1856-1927Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 152K words
Chapters: 16

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'infedele by Matilde SeraoAuthor: Serao, Matilde, 1856-1927,Language: Italian, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: May 12, 2007

Editor's review

This novel comes from the pen of the late nineteenth-century Italian woman writer Matilde Serao and belongs to the vein of Italian verismo literature. Serao long set her writing in Naples and excelled at depicting urban life and women's circumstances; this work likewise revolves around emotional and moral transgression, and its title—literally “the unfaithful one”—directs the reader's attention to the characters' struggle among desire, duty, and social judgment. As a free electronic text from Project Gutenberg, it preserves the work as originally published, is in Italian, and serves as a supplementary reading for understanding the Italian verismo novel and women's writing. Reading it requires some command of Italian, or the aid of a translation for comparison; the text is a public-domain e-book without modern annotations, so readers would do well to have background material on literary history at hand. Overall, it is not a sensational popular story but rather a cool observation of human weakness, suited to readers interested in nineteenth-century European literature who wish to read slowly and savor it.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with Italian reading ability who want to encounter verismo fiction
Readers studying nineteenth-century Italian women's writing and Neapolitan literature
Literary enthusiasts who enjoy slow-paced novels of psychological and moral subject matter
Those who need a free public-domain text for translation comparison or language learning

Not a good fit for

Readers with no Italian at all who are unwilling to use a translation
Readers of popular fiction expecting strong plot and fast pacing
Beginner literary readers who need modern annotations and introductions

Reading tips

First learn the background of Italian verismo literature, then enter the text; the narrative intent is easier to grasp.
Read alongside a Chinese or English translation to lower the language barrier.
Focus on the heroine's psychological changes and the depiction of the social environment; don't rush the plot.
After finishing, read other Neapolitan works by Serao for comparison.

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 in Italian?

Yes, the electronic text is in Italian, published by Project Gutenberg as a free public-domain e-book, without modern Chinese annotations or an introduction.

What kind of writer is Serao?

Matilde Serao was an Italian writer active from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century. Her writing has a verismo flavor, often set in Naples, and focuses on urban life, women's circumstances, and social reality.

Can I read it without any Italian?

Reading the original directly would be quite difficult. It is advisable to use a Chinese or English translation alongside, or first read the chapters on verismo in a history of Italian literature before attempting the original.

Comments

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About the author

Serao, Matilde, 1856-1927 Author

Matilde Serao (1856–1927) was an Italian writer, and 15 of her works are held in this collection. Her writings span novels, short stories, and sketches, and they mostly center on the social life of Naples and the everyday experiences of ordinary people. Representative works include Le Amanti, Gli amanti: pastelli, Fior di passione, Dal vero, The Conquest of Rome, The Land of Cockayne: A Novel, Suor Giovanna della Croce: romanzo, and Vita e avventure di Riccardo Joanna: romanzo. These works show her gift for realistic portrayals of urban life and emotional relationships, with delicate narration, vivid characterization, and a blend of cool observation and warm sympathy. Public information is limited, and further details of her life and critical reception are not available here, yet the works themselves indicate her place in modern Italian fiction.