Seven Legends

Gottfried KellerProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 170K words
Chapters: 18

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.Seven Legends by Gottfried KellerAuthor: Keller, Gottfried, 1819-1890,Language: English, Class: PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures, Release Date: Nov 29, 2010

Editor's review

Gottfried Keller was a major writer of nineteenth-century German-language literature in Switzerland, and Seven Legends is a small but distinctive collection. Keller is known for his delicate psychological portrayal and his observation of bourgeois life; this set of legends injects a realistic touch and humor into the framework of traditional religious stories, retaining the solemnity of legend while carrying the author's characteristic gentle irony. For readers, its value lies in experiencing, in short form, the transition of German-language literature from the Romantic tradition to realism; the length is moderate and suits reading in spare moments. The Gutenberg edition is an English public-domain ebook with relatively clear language, suitable as supplementary material for an introduction to German literature or a comparative literature course. Note that the legend genre involves religious and cultural backgrounds; if one is entirely unfamiliar with the relevant traditions, some meanings may require checking.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who want an introduction to nineteenth-century German literature in short form
Readers who enjoy legends and fables and appreciate a gently ironic tone
Students and teachers who need a public-domain English ebook for supplementary classroom reading
Readers interested in stories with religious and cultural backgrounds who are willing to look up relevant traditions

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting long, continuous plots and preferring the pace of modern novels
Readers with no interest in the religious legend genre and unwilling to learn the cultural background
Beginning readers with limited English reading ability and no supporting materials

Reading tips

Read legend by legend, pausing briefly after each to savor its meaning and irony.
Look up religious or legendary allusions as you go, and keep background note cards for cross-reference.
Treat the seven legends as a set, and after finishing compare their themes and narrative techniques.
If used for a course, select one legend for close reading and discuss it in light of Keller's life and times.

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 Seven Legends seven independent stories?

Yes, the book consists of seven legends that are relatively independent and can be read separately, not necessarily in order or all at once. They share the legend genre and Keller's narrative style, but the plots are not continuous. Readers can start with any one and gradually read them all.

Can I understand it without knowing religious legends?

The basic plot is understandable, but some meanings and irony require some knowledge of religious and cultural background. It is advisable to consult brief materials when encountering unfamiliar allusions, or to choose an annotated edition for support. Understanding the legends in the context of nineteenth-century German literature will be more rewarding.

Is this book suitable as an introduction to German literature?

It is fairly suitable as an introductory or supplementary reader. It is short, the pieces are independent, and the English public-domain ebook is easy to obtain; it quickly gives a sense of Keller's narrative style and the climate of nineteenth-century German literature. However, it cannot replace reading Keller's longer works; it is best used as a starting point rather than the whole.

What is the reading experience of the English public-domain ebook like?

The Gutenberg edition is convenient to read, search, and annotate on electronic devices, and the language is generally clear, though some older expressions still require acclimation. It is advisable to use reading software with a dictionary function, read in sections by legend, and review annotations afterward, which helps grasp the thematic connections among the legends.

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About the author

Gottfried Keller Author · Swiss · 1819–1890

Gottfried Keller (1819–1890) was a Swiss writer in German, a representative of 19th-century German-language "poetic realism" and is known as "the Goethe of Switzerland." He was born into a working-class family in Zurich, where he also died in 1890. Keller wrote the two-volume novella collection Die Leute von Seldwyla (The People of Seldwyla) and Seven Legends, as well as the novels Green Henry and Martin Salander. His works are mostly drawn from small-town and rural life in Switzerland; his tone is humorous and satirical, and his realistic depiction is suffused with poetic warmth. He had a lasting influence on later Swiss and German-language literature.