The Nightingale

Schmid, Christoph von, 1768-1854Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.8

Word count: 142K words
Chapters: 15

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.De nachtegaal by Christoph von SchmidAuthor: Schmid, Christoph von, 1768-1854,Language: Dutch, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: Dec 10, 2008

Editor's review

De nachtegaal (The Nightingale) is a short story in Dutch by the German author Christoph von Schmid, available as a free eBook from Project Gutenberg. Schmid was known for moral tales for children and young adults, and this work continues in his characteristic manner: plain language, a simple plot, and themes of kindness, piety, and contentment conveyed through images of nature and animals. As a public-domain electronic text, its value lies not in complexity of plot or formal experiment but in offering a sample of nineteenth-century European children's literature and moral-educational writing. For readers studying the spread of German-language children's literature in the Dutch-speaking world, or collecting multilingual Project Gutenberg resources, this small book is worth a look. Read it as a fable-like story bearing the marks of its time, attentive to the narrator's moral intent and the social background, without demanding modern-novel depth of character. It is short enough to finish in one sitting on a commute or before bed, and can also serve as light material for language learners encountering early written Dutch.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Beginner to intermediate learners of Dutch who want short texts for reading practice
Readers studying nineteenth-century European children's literature and moral tales
Collectors of multilingual public-domain eBooks from Project Gutenberg
Casual readers who enjoy fable-like short stories and plain narration

Not a good fit for

Readers of contemporary fiction seeking complex plots and psychological depth
Readers unfamiliar with Dutch who are unwilling to use a translation or tools
Parents looking for guidance on modern children's education

Reading tips

Read through once for the gist, then go back over unfamiliar words and sentence patterns with a dictionary.
Note the narrator's moral commentary and consider how it differs from contemporary values.
Compare with Schmid's works in other languages to see how the same story appears across languages.
It is short; read it in one sitting, then revisit key passages and take notes.

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

What language is this book in, and what background do I need to read it?

The original is in Dutch, in nineteenth-century written style. Basic reading ability in Dutch plus a dictionary is enough to get through it; readers with no Dutch can first find an English or German translation to follow the plot, then return to the original as language-learning material.

Is the story suitable for modern children?

The language itself is simple, but it carries a clear period moralizing tone, and its themes and manner are distant from contemporary children's books. If reading it to a child, an adult should read it first and provide context, treating it as a window into older children's literature rather than a straightforward bedtime story.

Why is the book so short?

Schmid's works of this kind were mostly short stories or pamphlets aimed at children and general readers, and prized brevity and ease of reading. Project Gutenberg presents the public-domain electronic text at its original length, so it reads quickly and suits a single sitting in spare time.

Do I need to worry about the edition when reading this eBook?

Project Gutenberg texts are proofread by volunteers and generally reliable, but early multilingual releases may contain occasional typographical or transcription differences. For scholarly citation, check the original publication details and note the electronic edition and release date you used.

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About the author

Schmid, Christoph von, 1768-1854 Author

Schmid, Christoph von (1768-1854) was a German-language writer of children's literature, with seven works held in this collection. The titles suggest that he wrote short stories and festive gift books for children, such as The Basket of Flowers and Das Lämmchen, as well as Die Ostereyer and Der Weihnachtsabend, both subtitled as Easter and Christmas gifts for children. These works point to a focus on holiday themes and everyday moral lessons, written in simple language suited to young readers and to circulation as presents. His writings were translated into French (Contes pour les petits garçons) and Dutch (De nachtegaal), among other languages, and the collection also includes Genoveeva Brabantin kreivitär, indicating some cross-linguistic reach in nineteenth-century Europe. Public information on his life, nationality, and education is limited, so no speculation is offered here.