Marguerite De Roberval: A Romance of the Days of Jacques Cartier

Thomas Guthrie MarquisProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 2.8
Word count
354K words
Chapters
36

Tags

English Originals Historical Fiction Canadian HistoryAdventure JourneyFate and FortuneLove StoryMaritime ExplorationIsland SurvivalJacques CartierCourage and FortitudeExotic CultureColonial Era

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 De Roberval: A Romance of the Days of Jacques Cartier by MarquisAuthor: Marquis, Thomas Guthrie, 1864-1936,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: Mar 7, 2010

Editor's review

This is an English romance set against the era of Jacques Cartier's voyages, centered on the figure of Marguerite de Roberval. The author, Thomas Guthrie Marquis, born in the mid-nineteenth century, habitually drew on historical events and local legends, and this book is no exception: it uses the atmosphere of genuine voyages of exploration as a backdrop for a narrative with romantic coloring. Its readability comes chiefly from the evocation of period setting and the dramatic quality of the plot rather than from strict historical accuracy. For readers, it serves as an entry point to early Canadian-themed English fiction and can be read alongside Cartier's voyage records to see how historical material is transformed into romance. It need not be judged solely by factual accuracy; better to focus on the characters' fates, the imaginative evocation of the era, and the narrative pace, appreciating it as popular fiction with a historical backdrop.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Familiarize yourself with the basic background of Jacques Cartier's voyages before reading to enter the novel's period setting more quickly.
  2. Read the novel alongside Cartier's historical records and note how the author selects and fictionalizes historical material.
  3. Pay attention to how Marguerite is characterized and consider the function of female characters in romance narrative.
  4. The English original has a nineteenth-century style; proceed chapter by chapter rather than trying to finish in one sitting.

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.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36

FAQ

Is the historical content in this novel reliable? This is a romance, not a history. The author uses a historical era as a backdrop for literary creation, and the handling of plot and characters involves fictional elements. Readers can use it to sense the atmosphere of the period but should not treat it as a factual source. For accurate historical information, consult Cartier's voyage records and relevant historical scholarship.
Was Marguerite de Roberval a real person? Marguerite de Roberval is associated with early legends of North American exploration and often appears in related narratives. This book is a literary reworking of that material, and the specific plot is fictional. Readers interested in her historical prototype should consult specialized historical research rather than relying on the novel.
How difficult is the English, and is it suitable for language learners? The book is written in nineteenth-century English, with long sentences and period vocabulary, making it more difficult than contemporary popular fiction. Readers with intermediate or higher English reading ability and an interest in historical subjects will find it easier to persevere. Language learners may use annotated editions or read in segments, grasping the plot first and examining the prose later.

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About the author

Thomas Guthrie Marquis Author · Canadian · 1864–1936

Thomas Guthrie Marquis (1864–1936) was a Canadian historian and writer. Born in Chatham, New Brunswick, and a graduate of Queen's University, he taught for a time before leaving the classroom for a literary career. His works include The War Chief of the Ottawas, The Jesuit Missions, and Marguerite De Roberval, and he also co-edited Canada and Its Provinces. Writing in a lively and accessible style, he focused on Canadian history, often dealing with colonial warfare, missionary work, and legendary figures, combining readability with popular history. He died in Toronto in 1936. Public information about his life and work is limited, and scholarly attention has centered mainly on his historical narratives for general readers.