Pages

Mallarmé, Stéphane, 1842-1898Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 7.1K words
Chapters: 1

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.Pages by Stéphane MallarméAuthor: Mallarmé, Stéphane, 1842-1898,Language: French, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Nov 1, 2003

Editor's review

Pages is a French-language work by the Symbolist poet Stéphane Mallarmé, available from Project Gutenberg as an e-book in the French literature category. Mallarmé's writing is known for its concision, suggestion, and highly self-conscious linguistic experimentation; this book serves as an entry point to his poetics rather than a read driven by plot or clear themes. Its value lies in experiencing the density and reticence of the language: sentences often do not state things directly but rely on rhythm, imagery, and a sense of typographic arrangement to draw the reader into constructing meaning. For readers studying French poetry, Symbolism, or the origins of Modernism, this is a text to revisit and read closely, passage by passage. As a public-domain e-book, version information is limited; it is best appreciated for its language and form rather than read straight through, and suits slow reading and note-taking in a quiet setting.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Advanced readers learning French or studying French literature
Literature enthusiasts interested in Mallarmé and Symbolist poetry
Readers concerned with modernist linguistic experimentation and poetic form
Chinese or foreign-language students seeking short texts for close-reading practice

Not a good fit for

Readers looking for a coherent plot or light entertainment
Absolute beginners in French unwilling to use reference tools
Beginners needing systematic annotation and detailed introductions

Reading tips

Begin with short passages read slowly, attending to the sound and repetition of words rather than rushing to summarize themes.
Keep pen and paper to excerpt striking lines, and after finishing, review linguistic patterns rather than plot.
Consult a French dictionary for key words, but avoid word-by-word translation that breaks the rhythm.
Read a small amount at a time, leaving intervals before rereading to sense the text's suggestion and reticence.

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 suitable for French beginners?

Not really for absolute beginners. Mallarmé's language is concise and highly suggestive, and his syntax does not aim at plain intelligibility; beginners will likely struggle with word meaning and sentence sense. If you already have some French reading ability and are willing to read slowly with a dictionary, you can use it as language and poetics training; otherwise, start with annotated selections or introductions.

Why is it said not to suit readers seeking plot?

Because this is a Symbolist poetic text focused on language, rhythm, imagery, and formal experiment rather than telling a complete story or developing characters. Readers expecting plot momentum may find it hard to enter. It suits those willing to read closely and repeatedly, appreciating the density and reticence of the language and taking it in slowly in a quiet setting.

What should I keep in mind when reading the e-book edition?

This is a public-domain Project Gutenberg e-book with limited version information and annotation, so read it primarily for appreciation of the text rather than relying on detailed scholarly notes. Use a reader with adjustable font size and annotation features for easy excerpting and review; where lineation or layout differs, treat it as part of the poetic form rather than an error.

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

Mallarmé, Stéphane, 1842-1898 Author · French · 1842–1898

Stéphane Mallarmé (1842–1898) was a leading figure of French Symbolism. He was born in Paris; public information about his early life and education is limited, yet his life's poetry established his important place in the history of modern French verse. He emphasized the musicality and suggestiveness of language, often using subtle imagery, condensed syntax and the expressive use of white space to let meaning shimmer between the words, creating an allusive and polysemous style. His representative work, The Afternoon of a Faun, is known for its sensuous atmosphere and dreamlike colour, and it has exerted a lasting influence on Symbolism and modern poetry. This library holds one work by him, Pages, through which readers may glimpse his essays and prose writing.