The Showy One

Picón, Jacinto Octavio, 1852-1923Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.0

Word count: 49K words
Chapters: 5

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.La vistosa by Jacinto Octavio PicónAuthor: Picón, Jacinto Octavio, 1852-1923,Language: Spanish, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Feb 28, 2009

Editor's review

La vistosa is a Spanish-language work by the Spanish author Jacinto Octavio Picón, made available as a free electronic text by Project Gutenberg. Picón was a novelist of the nineteenth-century Spanish realist and naturalist movements; his works often focus on social customs and human fates, in polished prose with a clear period flavor. Of moderate length, this Spanish original can be used to absorb the feel and syntax of nineteenth-century Spanish narrative prose, and suits readers interested in the development of the Spanish novel after the Golden Age. As a public-domain edition, the text has no modern notes or introduction, so readers may need to look up historical background and local usage themselves. Overall, it is better suited to Spanish reading practice and literary-history study than to light introductory reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Spanish majors using it as source reading for nineteenth-century novels
Readers interested in Spanish realist literature
Self-learners seeking free Spanish public-domain texts
Literature enthusiasts studying Picón's works and Spanish novels of manners

Not a good fit for

Beginners with no Spanish who need a parallel translation
Readers expecting a modern annotated and introduced edition
General readers who prefer fast plots and contemporary themes

Reading tips

Learn the background of nineteenth-century Spanish realism before starting the text.
Proceed chapter by chapter and, after each, briefly summarize characters and plot in Spanish to reinforce reading.
Look up local customs and historical references as you go, so questions do not pile up.
Read alongside Picón's other short works to see the consistency of his narrative style.

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 are the language and genre of this book?

According to the Project Gutenberg record, the book is in Spanish, classified under PQ (Romance literatures), and is a literary work by Jacinto Octavio Picón in the public domain.

Can I understand it without notes?

Readers with intermediate or better Spanish can read it through, but the customs and historical references in a nineteenth-century text may need independent verification. A Spanish dictionary and a history of Spanish literature are recommended as aids.

Is this book suitable for learning Spanish?

It suits learners who already have some foundation as extensive reading, to become familiar with nineteenth-century written prose and narrative syntax. It is not recommended for absolute beginners, since the lack of notes and translation makes long sentences frustrating.

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About the author

Picón, Jacinto Octavio, 1852-1923 Author

Jacinto Octavio Picón (1852–1923) was a Spanish writer active from the late nineteenth to the early twentieth century. Public information about his life is limited, and details such as his nationality and education cannot be reliably confirmed, so knowledge of him rests mainly on the seven works held in the collection. He wrote novels as well as literary criticism and biography; his Vida y obras de don Diego Velázquez reflects his interest in the Spanish painting tradition. Cuentos de mi tiempo sketches social customs in short form, while Lázaro: casi novela and Tres mujeres explore themes of love and morality with delicate narrative and attention to character psychology and everyday scenes. His works draw largely on Spanish urban life, are realistic with a sentimental tinge, and offer material for studying the literary taste of his era.