The Best Enemy

Webster, Jean, 1876-1916Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.4
Word count
397K words
Chapters
40

Tags

Foreign Language Books Foreign Literature Campus LifeLove EntanglementsPsychological InsightSelf-GrowthLight ReadingYouthful VibeHeartwarming NarrativePopular NarrativeFemale Perspective

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. Paras vihollinen by Jean Webster. Author: Webster, Jean, 1876-1916. Language: Finnish. Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature. Release Date: Nov 22, 2017.

Editor's review

This is the Finnish translation of "Paras vihollinen" by the American writer Jean Webster, released free of charge by Project Gutenberg. Webster is known for her brisk, humorous style and delicate portrayal of a young girl's psychology; this text is suitable as Finnish reading material for observing how early 20th-century American popular fiction preserves dialogue rhythm and character in the target language. The electronic edition is easy to search and carry, but the public-domain text has no modern annotations, so Finnish readers must handle old-fashioned expressions and cultural background themselves. Its reading value lies not in offering a widely known plot summary for Chinese readers but in direct contact with an American woman writer's narrative style in the original or in translation; it suits language learners doing intensive and comparative practice, and readers interested in early women's writing who want to savour it slowly.

Who it's for

A good fit for

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Reading tips

  1. Learn about Webster's writing style first before entering the text, to reduce unfamiliarity with old-fashioned expressions.
  2. Read chapter by chapter intensively, excerpting dialogue and psychological description sentences as Finnish expression practice.
  3. Read alongside the English original or a reliable translation to help confirm plot and tone.

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.

Contents

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40

FAQ

What level of language learner is this Finnish translation suitable for? The text is a translation of an early 20th-century novel, and its syntax and vocabulary carry the features of the period. Intermediate Finnish reading ability or above is recommended. Beginners can read an abridged or bilingual edition first, then try the original, using a dictionary for old-fashioned expressions.
Is this book related to Webster's well-known works? The material only shows that this is a Finnish translation of a work by Jean Webster and does not specify which well-known work it corresponds to. Readers who need to confirm the original title and plot should consult a list of Webster's works or the translation's copyright page.
Does the electronic edition include annotations or a translator's note? Project Gutenberg usually provides public-domain original electronic texts, generally without modern annotations, detailed translator's notes or introductions. Readers who need background knowledge can consult research on Finnish literary translation or biographical material on Webster separately.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Webster, Jean, 1876-1916 Author

Jean Webster (1876–1916) was an American author. Public information about her education, awards and specific life experiences is limited; what can be confirmed is chiefly her literary output. Sixteen of her works are held in this collection, including Daddy-Long-Legs, Dear Enemy, Jerry, and Setä Pitkäsääri, Vadertje Langbeen, Het John Grier Home, Much Ado About Peter and Paras vihollinen, several of which are different-language versions of the same titles. Her writing often uses the epistolary form and a light, humorous tone, focusing on orphanages, the growth of young women and education, with lively dialogue and gentle social concern. Daddy-Long-Legs is her most widely circulated work and the one for which later readers remember her.