A Harpa do Crente

Alexandre Herculano de Carvalho e AraújoProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.6

Word count: 78K words
Chapters: 8

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.A Harpa do Crente by Alexandre HerculanoAuthor: Herculano, Alexandre, 1810-1877,Language: Portuguese, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Sep 23, 2007

Editor's review

A Harpa do Crente is a collection of religious lyric poetry by the Portuguese Romantic writer Alexandre Herculano; the title may be understood as "The Believer's Harp." Its value lies first in its place in literary history: Herculano was a major figure of Portuguese Romanticism, and this work shows his attempt to combine personal religious feeling with poetic form, in a language marked by the solemnity and musicality of nineteenth-century lyric poetry. For Chinese readers, it is better suited as a sample for understanding the landscape of Portuguese Romantic poetry than as light entertainment. Reading it requires some patience; the religious imagery and lyrical tone are distant from contemporary reading habits, but if one slows down and savors its rhythm and emotional rises and falls, one can still feel a plain devotion and lyrical power. Reading it alongside a background in Portuguese literary history and understanding it within the Romantic movement will be more rewarding than reading a single poem in isolation.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Portuguese literature and Romantic poetry
Advanced learners of Portuguese who wish to encounter poetry in the original
Those studying religious lyric poetry and nineteenth-century literary history
Readers willing to read classical poetry slowly and accept a lyrical style

Not a good fit for

General readers who prefer modern fiction and fast-paced narrative
Learners with no Portuguese who want an easy introduction
Readers with little interest in religious poetry

Reading tips

First learn the basic background of Portuguese Romanticism, then enter the poems.
Read only a few poems at a time, noting rhythm, repetition, and the use of religious imagery.
Read against the Portuguese original and a translation to appreciate the musicality of the poetic language.
Compare your reading response with Romantic poetry of the same period to form a literary-historical frame of reference.

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 poetry?

It is a poetry collection, belonging to religious lyric poetry, not a novel. It expresses religious feeling and themes in verse; read it as poetry, attending to rhythm, imagery, and lyrical tone, rather than expecting plot development.

Can I read it without any Portuguese?

You can read it with a translation or in a bilingual edition, but the rhythm of the original will be lost. If you know no Portuguese at all, it is best to find an introduction to the literary history and a guide to the poetry first, then decide whether to read further, so that language barriers do not make you give up.

What is Herculano's standing in Portuguese literature?

He is a major writer of Portuguese Romanticism, with contributions in both historical fiction and poetry. This book shows his religious lyrical side and is best understood within the context of Romantic literature, not as an isolated single volume.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

This is a free electronic text released by the project, in Portuguese, and in the public domain. Readers can obtain it free of charge, but it usually has no modern annotations or introduction, so background materials must be supplied by the reader.

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About the author

Alexandre Herculano de Carvalho e Araújo Author · Portuguese · 1810–1877

Alexandre Herculano (1810–1877) was a Portuguese historian, novelist and poet, regarded as the founder of Portuguese Romanticism. Because of his liberal convictions he went into exile in England and France, and later served as a librarian at the Royal Library and was elected a member of parliament. His four-volume History of Portugal verifies facts against original documents, reflecting a rigorous historical method. In literature he wrote the historical novels Eurico, o presbítero and O Monge de Cister, as well as Lendas e Narrativas, and left poems such as A Harpa do Crente and Poesias. The collection holds fourteen of his works, including Lendas e Narrativas and several volumes of Opúsculos, covering both historical essays and literary narrative.