Sweet Hours

Carmen Sylva (Elisabeth Pauline Ottilie Luise of Wied, Queen of Romania)Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.5

Word count: 42K words
Chapters: 5

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.Sweet Hours by Carmen SylvaAuthor: Sylva, Carmen, 1843-1916,Language: English, Class: PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures, Release Date: Mar 19, 2015

Editor's review

Sweet Hours is an English-language work by the German author Carmen Sylva (1843–1916), released free of charge by Project Gutenberg. Sylva, whose real name was Elisabeth Pauline Ottilie Luise, was Queen of Romania and also wrote literature under her pen name, her writing often marked by a lyrical and introspective quality. The book is classified under Germanic literature; it is short and offers a small window onto late nineteenth-century European women's writing and the literary work of royal authors. Its value lies less in dramatic plot than in the delicate feeling and period atmosphere that suffuse the prose. Readers interested in Project Gutenberg's digital texts or in editions of nineteenth-century European literature may also treat it as a light electronic-text sample. It is best dipped into casually, without expecting a continuous narrative.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literary readers interested in late nineteenth-century European women writers
Those seeking short, light reading for fragmented time
Digital humanities enthusiasts studying Project Gutenberg public-domain ebooks
Readers who enjoy a lyrical, introspective prose style

Not a good fit for

General fiction readers seeking strong plot and fast pacing
Scholars needing systematic literary-historical context or detailed annotation
Readers who do not read English originals and rely on translations

Reading tips

Read through once to sense the overall tone; do not puzzle over every rare word.
Pair it with background on late nineteenth-century Europe to understand the author's identity and context.
Read one short section at a time, as light bedtime or commute reading.
For research, consult the author's biography and the Gutenberg edition's metadata alongside the text.

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 a novel or prose?

The source only classifies it under Germanic literature and gives no specific genre. Given Carmen Sylva's tendency toward lyrical, introspective writing, readers may expect short literary prose; the exact genre requires reading the original to confirm.

Why is the author credited as Carmen Sylva?

Carmen Sylva is a pen name. The author's real name was Elisabeth Pauline Ottilie Luise (1843–1916); she was Queen of Romania and wrote literature under her pen name. The author field in the source uses the pen name.

Where can I read this book?

The book is released by Project Gutenberg as a free public-domain ebook. Project Gutenberg, founded by Michael Hart in 1971, was the first project to offer free ebooks. Readers can search for the title on its platform to obtain the English original.

What language level is needed to read this book?

The source gives the language as English. The original is late nineteenth- to early twentieth-century English, with possibly long sentences, so an intermediate or higher reading level is suitable; readers with weaker English may use a dictionary or a parallel translation.

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About the author

Carmen Sylva (Elisabeth Pauline Ottilie Luise of Wied, Queen of Romania) Author · German (born in Neuwied; Queen consort of Romania) · 1843–1916

Carmen Sylva is the pen name of Elisabeth, Queen of Romania, wife of Carol I. Born in Neuwied, Germany, in 1843, she died in Romania in 1916. She wrote in German, Romanian, French, and English, producing poetry, drama, fiction, and fairy tales. She was especially devoted to translating Romanian folk poetry for Western readers, bringing the legends and songs of the Carpathian region to a wider audience. Her works often draw on Romanian landscapes and folk tales, with a romantic narrative tone and an accessible, translated quality. During the War of Independence of 1877–1878 she nursed the wounded and was called the "Mother of the Wounded."