As You Like It

William ShakespeareProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.2

Word count: 127K words
Chapters: 13

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.Miten haluatte by William ShakespeareAuthor: Shakespeare, William, 1564-1616,Language: Finnish, Class: PR: Language and Literatures: English literature, Release Date: Aug 22, 2013

Editor's review

This is the Finnish electronic edition of Shakespeare's comedy All's Well That Ends Well (Finnish title: Miten haluatte, one of the established Finnish renderings of the play), released by Project Gutenberg. For Chinese readers its value lies not in replacing a Chinese translation but in offering a public-domain, free, readily accessible multilingual parallel text: it can serve as reading material for learners of Finnish and as a resource for studying Shakespeare's translation and reception in the Nordic countries. As a public-domain classic of moderate length whose plot moves through mistaken identity and witty dialogue, it is best used for parallel reading—keep a Chinese or English version at hand and compare key passages to see both the choices made in translation and the shifts in comic timing. The electronic edition is plainly typeset, with no notes or introduction, so readers must supply background information themselves.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Intermediate and advanced language learners who study Finnish and want classic literature as close-reading material
Readers and researchers working on the history of Shakespeare translation or Nordic literary reception
General readers who want free public-domain electronic texts of foreign literature
Those who need Chinese-Finnish or English-Finnish parallel texts for translation practice

Not a good fit for

Casual readers who just want to enjoy the plot and are unwilling to deal with a foreign-language original
Beginners who need detailed notes, introductions and textual collation
E-book users who expect modern typesetting and an optimized reading experience

Reading tips

Read a Chinese or English plot summary first, then move on to the Finnish text so that language barriers do not cause you to lose the thread of the plot.
Mark the scenes of mistaken identity and the final reconciliation separately, and compare them with the original to see how the translator handles puns and verbal wit.
Read one act a day, and after each act write a three-to-five-sentence plot summary in Finnish, combining comprehension with language output.
For translation practice, try translating a passage yourself first, then compare your version with an existing Chinese translation to see the differences.

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

Which work of Shakespeare is this?

It is the Finnish translation of Shakespeare's comedy All's Well That Ends Well; the Finnish title Miten haluatte is the established Finnish rendering of the play. For the specific plot, rely on the edition you have at hand, and it is advisable to check the characters and scenes against a Chinese or English version first.

Can I read it without any knowledge of Finnish?

Direct reading is not recommended. The text is entirely in Finnish, and the electronic edition has no notes or introduction. If you do not know Finnish, use it as parallel material alongside a Chinese or English translation, or simply to see how the play appears in Finnish.

Does this electronic edition have notes and an introduction?

According to the information available, this is a self-produced electronic text released by Project Gutenberg and usually contains only the main text, without scholarly notes, introduction or textual apparatus. Before reading, look up background material on the play yourself, or have an annotated Chinese translation on hand.

Is it suitable for learning Finnish?

It suits intermediate and advanced learners who already have some foundation. Shakespeare's text has complex sentences and dense rhetoric and is rather difficult for beginners; it is better to read a plot summary first, then go through the play act by act, noting new words and typical sentence patterns as you go.

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About the author

William Shakespeare Author · English · 1564–1616

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) was the greatest playwright, poet and actor of the English Renaissance. Born in Stratford-upon-Avon, England, he is known as the "Bard of Avon." He wrote roughly thirty-seven to thirty-nine plays, one hundred and fifty-four sonnets and narrative poems. His representative works include Hamlet, Othello, King Lear, Macbeth and Romeo and Juliet. His works span tragedy, comedy and history play, distinguished by rich, poetic language and profound characterization. His explorations of human nature, power, love and fate have had a lasting influence, and his works have been translated into many languages and circulated widely around the world.