The Immortal

Daudet, Alphonse, 1840-1897Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.7

Word count: 391K words
Chapters: 40

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.The Immortal by Alphonse DaudetAuthor: Daudet, Alphonse, 1840-1897,Language: English, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Jun 12, 2008

Editor's review

"The Immortal" is a short work by Alphonse Daudet, built around the philosophical and ironic theme of immortality and showing the author's skill at creating dramatic turns and observing human nature within a small compass. Daudet's narratives typically begin with ordinary details and, in a gentle, faintly mocking tone, expose his characters' obsessions and limitations; this piece follows that manner. As a public-domain English ebook from Project Gutenberg, it is easy to obtain and read on the go, and serves as a useful supplementary piece for readers getting to know Daudet's short fiction. Readers can finish it in a single commute or before bed, noting how the narrator creates irony within a limited scene; they may also read it alongside other Daudet stories to observe the lightness and restraint with which he handles motifs such as fame and eternity.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers who have read Daudet's major works and want to explore his shorter fiction
Readers who enjoy short satirical fiction and sketches of human nature
Readers looking for a public-domain English ebook for light reading
Beginners interested in literary motifs such as immortality and fame

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking Daudet's major novels or a complete collection
Academic readers needing detailed biography and textual scholarship
Readers who prefer plot-driven, fast-paced genre fiction

Reading tips

Read the whole piece in under an hour, then revisit the key turning point to appreciate where the irony lands.
While reading, note changes in the narrator's attitude toward immortality and make brief annotations.
Read it against other Daudet stories to observe how his satirical technique repeats and varies.
If the English is difficult, first read a Chinese translation for the plot, then return to the English original.

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 "The Immortal" a novel or a short story by Daudet?

According to the Project Gutenberg public-domain record, it is a short work by Daudet, and the English ebook is not long. It works well as a sample of his short fiction, not as a substitute for his major novels. For a systematic view of Daudet, read it together with his well-known story collections.

Does this edition include notes or an introduction?

The Project Gutenberg edition mainly provides public-domain electronic text and usually contains no scholarly notes or detailed introduction. Readers who want background can look up Daudet's life and nineteenth-century French literature on their own, or use a Chinese print translation with translator's notes and an introduction for support.

Do I need to know Daudet's other works before reading this?

Not necessarily. This piece can be read on its own, though familiarity with Daudet's gentle ironic style makes it easier to enter the context. Readers new to Daudet may first read one or two of his well-known stories, then this book, to appreciate more clearly the lightness and restraint with which he treats the theme of immortality.

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About the author

Daudet, Alphonse, 1840-1897 Author

Alphonse Daudet (1840–1897) was a French writer known for clear, brisk storytelling in a warm and slightly melancholy style. Forty of his works are held in this collection, including Lettres de mon moulin, Le petit chose, Tartarin de Tarascon and Le nabab. His writing often draws on the landscapes and customs of southern France, combining lively narration with concern for the fate of ordinary people, which gives it both readability and emotional depth. His works are categorized here as inspirational and coming-of-age, reflecting the lasting appeal of their themes of growth and struggle. Public information on the details of his life is limited, so no conjecture is offered here.