The War Volunteer

Mühlenfels, Hedwig von, 1874-1923Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.0

Word count: 466K words
Chapters: 47

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.Der Kriegsfreiwillige by Hedwig von MühlenfelsAuthor: Mühlenfels, Hedwig von, 1874-1923,Language: German, Class: PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures, Release Date: Jun 3, 2017

Editor's review

Der Kriegsfreiwillige (The War Volunteer) is a work by the German author Hedwig von Mühlenfels, digitized by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain eBook. Judging from the title and its classification under Germanic literature, it touches on the weighty theme of war and personal choice, bearing the marks of its time common to early twentieth-century German-language literature. As an obscure text preserved through digitization, its main value lies in its documentary and literary-historical significance: readers can observe how popular German-language literature of the period handled issues such as war, duty, and youthful ideals. The text is in German, with no modern annotations, and both its narrative pacing and conceptual framework are markedly distant from contemporary works; it requires a historicized reading, and the positions expressed in the book should not be taken directly as historical fact. It suits German learners, researchers of war literature, and enthusiasts of public-domain eBooks, but not readers seeking light stories or those who need detailed background introductions.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Learners with intermediate-to-advanced German reading ability who want to engage with obscure German-language literary texts in the original
Readers studying early twentieth-century German-language war literature and the discourse of its era
Veteran bibliophiles accustomed to public-domain eBooks who can supplement the historical background themselves

Not a good fit for

Beginners with weak German foundations who need bilingual comparison or annotated assistance
Readers hoping for light, pleasant stories or those sensitive to war themes
Research beginners expecting modern introductions, detailed author biographies, and historical annotations

Reading tips

First learn about the author's era and common themes in German-language war literature before entering the text, avoiding simple judgment by contemporary values.
While reading, distinguish between "the ideas in the work" and "historical fact," and note down background points that need verification as you go.
If reading in German proves difficult, first find a Chinese translation or research overview of the same subject to build a framework, then return to the original 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

Which war is this book about?

The available information only shows that the title is Der Kriegsfreiwillige (The War Volunteer), classified under German literature, without specifying a particular war. Given the author's lifetime and the wording of the title, it is usually understood in the context of early twentieth-century war literature; the specific reference requires readers to confirm it themselves based on the text and related research.

Can I read it without any German?

Very difficult. The book is a public-domain eBook in the original German, with no bilingual comparison or modern annotations. Readers without German foundations are advised to first consult related research materials or translations to understand the content, then decide whether to take on the original.

Does this book have a modern introduction?

Project Gutenberg editions usually provide only the original text, without modern introductions, annotations, or author chronologies. For research-oriented reading, it is advisable to use it alongside German literary history, research papers on war literature, or library catalog information.

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About the author

Mühlenfels, Hedwig von, 1874-1923 Author

Mühlenfels, Hedwig von (1874–1923) is an author who survives in German-language records through a single work; public information about her is limited. The library holds only one title by her, Der Kriegsfreiwillige (which may be rendered as The War Volunteer). Judging by the title, the subject concerns volunteers who joined the military in wartime and may touch on personal choice, the mood of the period, and wartime experience, though the work's exact content and genre remain to be verified. No further reliable information is available about her life, nationality, or the background of her writing, so it is difficult to describe her literary standing and influence in detail. On present evidence she belongs among authors with few works who enter bibliographic records through a single book, and her significance lies more in the historical context reflected in that work than in wide literary renown.