Friar Luiz de Sousa

Almeida Garrett, João Batista da Silva Leitão de AProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.4

Word count: 106K words
Chapters: 11

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.Frei Luiz de Sousa by Almeida GarrettAuthor: Almeida Garrett, João Batista da Silva Leitão de Almeida Garrett, Visconde de, 1799-1854,Language: Portuguese, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Jan 23, 2006

Editor's review

Frei Luiz de Sousa is a dramatic work by the Portuguese writer Almeida Garrett, counted among the classics of Portuguese literature and made freely available in the original Portuguese by Project Gutenberg. Drawing on Portuguese historical figures and events, the play revolves around identity, family, and fate, reflecting the Romantic period's dual concern with national history and personal feeling. Garrett was a leading figure of Portuguese Romanticism, and this play is often cited in the history of Portuguese literature; it is instructive for understanding the subject matter and stagecraft of nineteenth-century Portuguese drama. This is the original Portuguese edition, where the barrier to reading lies in the language rather than the length, making it suitable as a close-reading text for those studying Portuguese or researching Iberian literature. Readers are advised to familiarize themselves with the historical background before entering the dialogue, so as to better appreciate the characters' situations and the dramatic tension.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Portuguese majors in need of primary literary texts
Scholars of Iberian literature and Romantic drama
Readers interested in Portuguese historical plays
Self-learners with some Portuguese who wish to tackle literature in the original

Not a good fit for

Readers with no Portuguese and no access to a translation
Casual readers seeking light stories who prefer not to engage with historical background
Beginners expecting a modernized retelling or a heavily annotated edition

Reading tips

Before reading, look up the historical figures and events referenced in the play to build a background framework.
Read act by act, and after each act review the character relationships and how the conflict advances.
For the original Portuguese, first read through once to grasp the plot, then read the dialogue closely on a second pass.
Consult relevant chapters of Portuguese literary history to understand the work's place within Romanticism.

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 edition in?

This is the original Portuguese edition, labeled Portuguese and published by Project Gutenberg, with no Chinese or English translation included. Reading requires Portuguese proficiency; beginners may use a dictionary or bilingual materials for support.

Is this a novel or a play?

Judging by the title and Garrett's background as a playwright, this is a dramatic work presented in script form with character dialogue and scenes. Read it by acts and scenes rather than as a novel, and pay attention to the motivations and conflicts revealed in the dialogue.

Can I read it without knowing Portuguese history?

You can, but your understanding will suffer. The play draws on Portuguese historical figures and events, and without background knowledge the relationships and motivations may be confusing. Spending a little time beforehand on the relevant history will make the text much smoother.

Is it suitable for learning Portuguese?

It suits learners with some foundation as a close-reading text in the original. The language is nineteenth-century literary prose, distant from contemporary speech in syntax and vocabulary, so beginners will struggle. It is best used after intermediate grammar study, alongside an annotated edition or a literary introduction.

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About the author

Almeida Garrett, João Batista da Silva Leitão de A Author

João Batista da Silva Leitão de Almeida Garrett is an important figure in the history of Portuguese literature, though public information about the details of his life is limited. Five of his works are held in the collection, including Frei Luiz de Sousa, Viagens na Minha Terra (in three copies), and Miragaia: Romance Popular. These works show that he was skilled in both drama and fiction, drawing his subjects largely from Portuguese history, folk legend, and social custom, and blending travel observations with a lyrical tone in his narratives; his language is plain yet rich in local color. His style stands between Romanticism and realism, with an emphasis on exploring national themes, and it has had some influence on later Portuguese writing that sought a distinctly national expression. Because details such as his birth and death years and nationality remain to be verified, no assumptions are made here; this note merely sketches the character of his works.