The Dead Donkey

Jules Gabriel JaninProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.4

Word count: 322K words
Chapters: 33

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.L'âne mort by Jules Gabriel JaninAuthor: Janin, Jules Gabriel, 1804-1874,Language: French, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Aug 24, 2008

Editor's review

L'âne mort is a French novel by Jules Janin (1804–1874), released free in electronic form by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain literary work. Janin was a nineteenth-century French literary critic and novelist whose style often blends irony with sentimentality. As a French original, the book serves as supplementary reading for understanding nineteenth-century French narrative literature and language style. The electronic edition is easy to obtain, can be read freely by chapter, and is convenient for looking up vocabulary and syntax. It is not, however, a book for beginners: the French vocabulary and syntax pose a threshold for non-native readers, and the Gutenberg edition is text-focused, lacking detailed notes and an introduction. Readers using it for French reading practice should pair it with a dictionary and background materials and proceed gradually. Overall, its value lies in providing a freely accessible French public-domain novel text, suitable for readers interested in French literature who are willing to read the original.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers with intermediate or higher French reading ability who want to read French originals
Researchers interested in nineteenth-century French literature and narrative style
Self-learners who need free public-domain texts as language-learning material
Readers who like reading classics chapter by chapter on electronic devices

Not a good fit for

Readers with no French who want an easy entry through a Chinese translation
Beginners who need detailed notes, introductions, and background analysis
General readers who prefer contemporary subjects or fast-paced plots

Reading tips

First look up the life of author Janin and the background of nineteenth-century French literature, then enter the text.
After each chapter, organize vocabulary and long sentences, working through them paragraph by paragraph with a French-Chinese dictionary.
You may read the opening and ending first to grasp the narrative tone before reading the whole text.
If reading is difficult, read selected passages alongside a Chinese or English translation.

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 in Chinese or French?

This is the French original, a public-domain e-book released by Project Gutenberg, with no accompanying Chinese translation. Some French foundation, or a dictionary and auxiliary translation, is needed before reading.

Does the Gutenberg edition have notes and an introduction?

Project Gutenberg mainly provides public-domain electronic texts, and this edition generally contains no detailed notes, introduction, or background analysis. Readers who need supporting materials can find information on the author's life and studies of the work to read alongside.

Is it suitable for practicing French reading?

It can serve as extensive reading material for intermediate or higher learners, but nineteenth-century French prose and vocabulary are difficult for beginners. Pairing it with a dictionary, organizing vocabulary chapter by chapter, and learning the period background first will improve the reading experience.

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About the author

Jules Gabriel Janin Author · French · 1804–1874

Jules Gabriel Janin (1804–1874) was a French writer, literary and drama critic, born in Saint-Étienne. From 1830 he served as drama critic for the Journal des Débats, earning renown for a light, incisive style. In 1829 he published the grotesque novel L'âne mort, and in 1831 he attacked the Orléans family in Barnave. He was elected to the Académie française in 1870. The library holds four of his works, including L'âne mort, Contes Fantastiques et Contes Littéraires, Barnave, and Contes, Nouvelles et Recits. His writing spans fiction and criticism, touching on the grotesque, the fantastic, and political satire. Publicly available sources are limited, making biographical detail difficult, yet his works and critical style sufficiently reveal his literary standing.