Napoleon

Israël QueridoProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 185K words
Chapters: 19

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.Napoleon by Is. QueridoAuthor: Querido, Is. (Israël), 1874-1932,Language: Dutch, Class: DC: History: General and Eastern Hemisphere: France, Andorra, Monaco, Release Date: Mar 29, 2014

Editor's review

This is a biographical work on Napoleon, originally written in Dutch and in the public domain as an e-book. Its interest lies not in detailed replay of military campaigns but in how the author understands and shapes the image of a historical figure: Napoleon is both a driver of institutions and war and a symbol continually reconstructed by the moods of the age, the will to power, and public imagination. Reading such early biography requires attention to the author's stance, sources, and narrative tone, treating the text itself as a historical source. For readers who already know the basic outline of Napoleon's life, this book offers a perspective from a different language and era; for beginners, it is better as supplementary reading than as the only entry point. Read it with the question "why does the author write this way," and you will gain more than from merely memorizing facts.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with a basic understanding of the Napoleonic era and French history
Readers who enjoy biographies and character studies of historical figures
Enthusiasts of history and literature interested in historical writing and biographical narrative
Researchers who can read Dutch or are willing to consult translations alongside the text

Not a good fit for

Complete beginners who know nothing of Napoleon's life and need a systematic introduction
War-history readers who only want campaign processes and military details
Readers unaccustomed to early biographical style and translated language

Reading tips

First read a concise Napoleon biography to establish a timeline, then read this book.
Mark the author's evaluative statements while reading to distinguish fact from judgment.
Understand it in light of background materials on the French Revolution and the imperial period.
After each chapter, retell in your own words the character image the author presents.

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

What language is this book written in?

The original is in Dutch, by Israël Querido. Project Gutenberg provides a public-domain electronic text in that language; Chinese readers will need translation tools or materials in other languages for reference.

Is it suitable as an introductory book on Napoleon?

Not very. It is closer to a character study with the author's perspective than an introductory general history arranged chronologically; it is advisable to grasp the basic life and era background before reading it.

What should be noted when reading early biography?

Note the author's period stance, source preferences, and rhetorical style. Early biography often carries strong moral judgments or national narratives, and readers should treat the narrative itself as material requiring analysis.

Does the book contain detailed analysis of military campaigns?

Judging by genre, the book focuses on the character image and commentary on the era rather than detailed replay of campaigns and tactics. Those interested in military history should supplement it with specialized works of military history.

Comments

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About the author

Israël Querido Author · Dutch · 1874–1932

Israël Querido (1874–1932) was a Dutch Jewish novelist. Throughout his literary career he focused on the lives of the urban poor and the working class, a direction evident in his representative work Napoleon. His writings are largely drawn from working-class life in Amsterdam and belong to the naturalist tradition, emphasizing the shaping power of environment and seeking to present the real conditions of ordinary laborers in their daily toil and hardship. Public Chinese-language sources on the details of his life and the full scope of his work remain limited, and only one of his works is held in this collection, so a complete assessment of his literary standing awaits further material. What is clear is that his naturalist writing on Amsterdam working-class life forms his most distinctive mark as a writer and is the essential point for later readers approaching this Dutch author.