Transatlantic Travel Sketches and Christophorus Bärenhäuter. Second Volume.

Charles SealsfieldProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.2
Word count
200K words
Chapters
21

Tags

Foreign Literature Travel Human GeographyAdventure JourneySocial Critique19th CenturyExotic CultureCultural ChangeCross-Cultural View

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.Transatlantische Reiseskizzen und Christophorus Bärenhäuter. Zweites Bändchen.Author: Sealsfield, Charles, 1793-1864,Language: German, Class: E151: History: America: United States, Release Date: Dec 19, 2014

Editor's review

This is the second volume of Charles Sealsfield's Transatlantische Reiseskizzen, written in German and combining travel sketches with the narrative section "Christophorus Bärenhäuter." Sealsfield himself moved for years between North America and Europe, and his writing often combines observations of the New World with the reading tastes of European audiences, so the book has both the immediacy of travel observation and clear narrative shaping and character creation. As a 19th-century German-language text of emigration literature and writing on America, its strength lies in presenting impressions of American society from an early transatlantic perspective. It suits readers interested in German travel literature, emigration narratives, and the early construction of America's image. The language bears the marks of its era, some passages are loose, and patience is needed in reading. It is best understood within the context of 19th-century German-language writing on America rather than as a modern travel guide.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Learn about Sealsfield's transatlantic experience first; the narrative stance is easier to grasp when reading the main text.
  2. Read the travel sketches and the Christophorus narrative separately, noting the differences between the two modes.
  3. Take brief notes on unfamiliar place names and figures to help reconstruct the 19th-century context.
  4. Read alongside materials on 19th-century German-language writing on America to understand its place in the period.

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.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21

FAQ

Is this book a novel or travel essays? It contains both: part is transatlantic travel sketches with the nature of observation and impressions; another part unfolds a narrative around Christophorus Bärenhäuter. This mixture is the book's characteristic, and the two can be grasped separately when reading.
Can someone who doesn't know German read this book? The original is in German, and direct reading is difficult without German. If you are only interested in the content, look for a translation or related research materials; to read the original, intermediate or higher German reading ability is recommended.
Why is it said not to be suitable as an introduction to American history? Because the book is literary travel writing with the author's personal perspective and narrative shaping, not a systematic historical work. It offers period impressions and observational angles but cannot replace rigorous American historical research or textbooks.

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About the author

Charles Sealsfield Author · Austrian-American · 1793–1864

Charles Sealsfield (1793–1864) is the pen name of Karl Anton Postl, an Austrian-American writer. Originally a monk, he went to the United States in 1823 and became an American citizen. He subsequently wrote in German novels and travel sketches set in America, his representative works including The Americans as They Are and the two volumes of Transatlantische Reiseskizzen und Christophorus Bärenhäuter. Drawing largely on North American scenery and social observations, his works combine the documentary flavor of travel writing with the narrative interest of fiction, and had a certain influence in introducing German-speaking readers to America. He died in Switzerland in 1864, his true identity revealed by his will. Public information is limited, and details of his life and the classification of his works remain to be further examined.