Ivory Spindles

Concha EspinaProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.3

Word count: 221K words
Chapters: 23

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.Ruecas de Marfil (Novelas) by Concha EspinaAuthor: Espina, Concha, 1869-1955,Language: Spanish, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Jan 26, 2015

Editor's review

Ruecas de Marfil ("Ivory Wrinkles") is a collection of novels by the Spanish writer Concha Espina (1869–1955), written in Spanish and released by Project Gutenberg on January 26, 2015, and made available online in 2019; it is classified under PQ: Romance literatures. Espina was an important Spanish novelist in the first half of the 20th century, and her works often depict local life and women's circumstances with delicate strokes. As a public-domain electronic text, the book's main significance is that it allows Chinese readers to access original Spanish-language literature at low cost and to observe the style of Spanish narrative from the late 19th to the early 20th century. It is suitable for Spanish learners as intensive reading material for short stories, and for literary researchers checking editions and contents. Readers should note that this is a public-domain text without modern annotations; the language bears the marks of its time, and some expressions differ from contemporary Spanish. It is best treated as practice in both language and literature rather than as a plot-driven page-turner.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Spanish majors or intermediate and advanced Spanish learners
Readers interested in 20th-century Spanish literature and women's writing
Teachers and researchers who need public-domain Spanish texts for language analysis

Not a good fit for

Readers with no Spanish who want a Chinese translation
General readers seeking strong plots and fast-paced stories for entertainment

Reading tips

Begin with a shorter novel for intensive reading, looking up unfamiliar words and period expressions before moving on.
Keep a notebook of character relationships and narrative perspectives to help understand the structure of the multiple stories.
Use histories of Spanish literature to understand Espina's era, then return to the text for a second reading.
Read long sentences aloud or shadow-read them to train a feel for Spanish rhythm and usage.

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 Spanish?

The main text is in Spanish. Project Gutenberg provides the original public-domain electronic text, not a Chinese translation; Chinese readers without sufficient language ability will need a dictionary or a parallel translation.

What kind of writer is Concha Espina?

She was a Spanish novelist from the late 19th to the first half of the 20th century, and her works often focus on local life and characters' psychology. This book is her short-story collection, suitable for observing her narrative style and the language of her time.

Does this book have modern annotations or an introduction?

No. It is a public-domain electronic text with minimal typesetting and annotation and no modern scholarly introduction. Readers who need background knowledge should consult histories of Spanish literature or related research materials separately.

Comments

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About the author

Concha Espina Author · Spanish · 1869–1955

Concha Espina (1869–1955), whose full name was María de la Concepción Rodríguez-Espina, was a Spanish woman writer born in Santander and died in Madrid. She is best known for the novel La Niña de Luzmela, and also wrote El Jayón, Dulce Nombre, Agua de Nieve, Ruecas de Marfil, La Esfinge Maragata and the play El Jayón: Drama en tres actos; seven of her works are held in this collection. Her writing draws largely on Spanish rural life, with delicate prose and close attention to her characters' fates and local customs. Nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature 25 times over 28 years, she continued writing after going blind in 1940, a testament to her literary standing and perseverance. Public information on her early education and specific writing career is limited.