Marguerite

France, Anatole, 1844-1924Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 42K 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. Marguerite by Anatole France. Author: France, Anatole, 1844–1924. Language: English. Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese. Release Date: May 9, 2008

Editor's review

This is a short novel by Anatole France, circulated as an English-language public-domain eBook in the Project Gutenberg collection. The work carries France's characteristic gentle irony and classical taste; the narration is unhurried, and its observations on human nature and the ways of the world lie beneath a light touch. It is well suited as an introduction to this French author's fiction. The electronic edition is convenient to read and can be finished in fragments during commutes or before sleep. Note that this version is an English translation whose style is somewhat old-fashioned, with certain sentence patterns and word choices bearing the marks of their era; the Project Gutenberg edition is also plain in layout and annotation, lacking an introduction or background notes. Readers who acquaint themselves briefly with the French literary context in which France wrote will more easily appreciate the irony and restraint in the text. Overall, it is better suited to readers with a reasonable command of English and an interest in French literature who wish to broaden their reading than to those seeking light, quick entertainment.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers of foreign literature interested in French literature and France's works who want to start with a short piece
Learners with at least intermediate English reading ability who are used to public-domain eBooks
Commuters who hope to finish a novella in fragmented time
Literature lovers who enjoy restrained irony and a classical narrative tone

Not a good fit for

Readers with weak English who prefer a Chinese translation for easy reading
Readers of popular fiction who prefer strong plots and fast-paced stories
Beginners who need detailed notes and an introduction to understand the text

Reading tips

Read a page or two first to get a feel for the old translation's language before deciding whether to read it through, so as to avoid abandoning it midway.
Pause after each chapter and look back at the irony in the characters' dialogue; do not chase speed.
Read alongside brief background material on France's life and late nineteenth-century French literature.
Mark unfamiliar expressions and skip them first, then look them up after finishing the whole text, so as to keep reading fluently.

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 Chinese or English?

This Project Gutenberg edition is an English translation, not a Chinese one. The language is listed as English, and the text is presented in English. If you want to read it in Chinese, you need to find a separate Chinese translation; if you want to use the English version to practise reading, you need some foundation in English.

Can I read this without having read other works by France?

Yes. It is a short, standalone work that does not depend on prior events in other works. France's narration, however, often carries restrained irony, and on first encounter the plot may seem slow to advance; it is advisable to read a few pages first to judge whether you are comfortable with his tone.

Does this electronic edition have notes and an introduction?

From the available information, this is a public-domain eBook provided by Project Gutenberg, with plain edition details and no mention of an introduction or detailed notes. If you encounter cultural background or old-fashioned expressions while reading, you may need to consult relevant materials yourself for help.

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

France, Anatole, 1844-1924 Author

Anatole France (France, Anatole, 1844-1924) was a French writer whose real name was Anatole François Thibault. Because the available material is limited, the details of his life cannot be set out here, but it is clear that he produced a large body of work, of which 57 titles are held in this collection. His representative works include Penguin Island, Les Dieux ont soif (The Gods Are Athirst), The Revolt of the Angels, Vie de Jeanne d'Arc (The Life of Joan of Arc), and La rôtisserie de la Reine Pédauque (At the Sign of the Reine Pédauque), spanning novels, historical biography, and satirical fable. France's prose is elegant and unhurried, and he often examines society and history with urbane irony and a skeptical spirit, weaving philosophical reflection into his narratives. He had a lasting influence on French literature and was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1921.