The Foursome

Gautier, Théophile, 1811-1872Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.5

Word count: 377K words
Chapters: 38

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.Partie carrée by Théophile GautierAuthor: Gautier, Théophile, 1811-1872,Language: French, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Nov 11, 2010

Editor's review

This is the original French-language ebook of Théophile Gautier's novella Partie carrée, released free by Project Gutenberg. Gautier was a major figure of nineteenth-century French Romanticism and Aestheticism, known for his finely crafted language and aesthetic sensibility; this work suits readers who wish to encounter the craft of French classical fiction in the original. As a public-domain electronic text, it lacks the notes and introduction of a commercial translation, so readers must navigate nineteenth-century French usage and historical context on their own. Its value lies chiefly in the accessibility and rawness of the text itself: it is short, making it suitable as introductory or intermediate material for reading French originals, and useful to scholars of French literature as a textual reference. Readers are advised to use a dictionary and background materials, and not to pursue plot in isolation without context; those seeking light entertainment may find the linguistic density a burden.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Learners with intermediate or higher French reading ability who want to try original novels
Readers interested in nineteenth-century French literature and Aestheticism
Researchers needing a public-domain French text for textual analysis or edition reference
Literature lovers who enjoy short narratives and are willing to read closely at a slower pace

Not a good fit for

General readers with no French at all who only want a Chinese translation
Those expecting modern popular plotting and fast-paced reading
Beginners needing detailed notes, introductions, and background explanation

Reading tips

First read through without worrying about full comprehension, marking unfamiliar words and long sentences, then read closely paragraph by paragraph.
Keep a French-Chinese dictionary at hand and consult background material on Gautier and nineteenth-century France alongside the text.
Break the text into roughly ten-page sessions, and after each, summarize the passage in a few sentences.
Read alongside a Chinese translation, focusing on the original's word choice and syntax.

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 a Chinese translation?

No. This is the original French-language ebook released by Project Gutenberg; the text is in French, with no Chinese translation or notes, so some French proficiency is needed before reading.

Can I read this without any French?

Not recommended. The work is a nineteenth-century French original whose syntax and vocabulary are demanding for beginners. Readers without French are better off finding a Chinese translation first or using this as a companion to the original.

What are the characteristics of the Project Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg provides free public-domain electronic texts. The advantages are easy access and a raw text; the drawbacks are that it usually lacks modern editorial notes, introductions, and consistent formatting, so readers must supply background knowledge themselves.

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About the author

Gautier, Théophile, 1811-1872 Author

Théophile Gautier (1811–1872) was a French poet, novelist and critic, with 24 works held in this collection. His verse collection Émaux et camées (Enamels and Cameos) is known for its finely wrought language and pursuit of formal beauty, and is regarded as a practice of the doctrine of art for art's sake; the two volumes of Poésies Complètes gather his poetry. In fiction, Mademoiselle de Maupin and One of Cleopatra's Nights and Other Fantastic Romances display his romantic and fantastical narrative interests. Gautier's style attends closely to color, line and sensory experience, and influenced later aesthetic literature. Public information is limited, so biographical details are not elaborated here.