The City Curious

Boschère, Jean de, 1878-1953Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 157K words
Chapters: 16

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.The City Curious by Jean de BoschèreAuthor: Boschère, Jean de, 1878-1953,Language: English, Class: PZ: Language and Literatures: Juvenile belles lettres, Release Date: May 17, 2010

Editor's review

The City Curious is by Jean de Bosschère (1878–1953). Project Gutenberg classifies it under “PZ: Juvenile belles lettres,” indicating an imaginative narrative for young readers. Bosschère was both an illustrator and a writer, and his work often carries a vivid visual imagination and a fantastical quality; the title itself suggests a city full of strange places. As a public-domain ebook, its value lies in giving readers free access to one facet of early twentieth-century European children’s and fantasy literature: unlike tightly plotted modern young-adult fiction, such works tend to rely more on atmosphere and accumulated imagery, and require a little patience to enter their world. It works as a sample of early children’s fantasy literature and suits readers who enjoy slow-paced, atmosphere-driven narrative. Since the available information provides only the classification and author details, the specific plot and whether illustrations are included must be confirmed by opening the text; reading with an exploratory rather than plot-driven mindset is recommended.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in early children’s fantasy literature
Adult readers who enjoy atmospheric, image-rich narrative
Students of public-domain children’s literature or illustration traditions
Parents looking for classic public-domain reading for children

Not a good fit for

Readers seeking fast pacing and strong plot momentum
Beginners who need modern annotations or introductory guidance
Readers who read only Chinese and prefer not to engage with the English original

Reading tips

Read the opening pages first to get a feel for the language and narrative rhythm, then decide whether to read the whole book.
While reading, pay attention to the spatial and urban imagery; brief notes can help track the scenes.
If reading to a child, read it through yourself first, pick passages suitable for reading aloud, then share them together.

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 for children?

Project Gutenberg classifies it under juvenile belles lettres, indicating it is aimed at young readers, but the narrative pace and language of early children’s literature differ from modern children’s books. Adult readers can enjoy it too, and parents may wish to look through it themselves before deciding whether to give it to a child.

Who was the author, Bosschère?

The available information shows that Jean de Bosschère, the author of this book, was born in 1878 and died in 1953. He also had a background in illustration, but the information provides no further biographical details; readers can sense his style from the content of the book.

Does this book have illustrations?

The available information gives only the classification and author details and does not say whether illustrations are included. Project Gutenberg editions sometimes retain the original illustrations and sometimes contain text only; check the electronic text itself to confirm.

Comments

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About the author

Boschère, Jean de, 1878-1953 Author · Belgian · 1878–1953

Jean de Boschère (1878–1953) was a Belgian poet, novelist and painter whose work carries a symbolist colouring. Public information about his life is limited; what can be confirmed is that he worked across both literature and painting, building an artistic world of mysterious atmosphere through words and images alike. Two of his works are held in this collection, The City Curious and Beasts & Men, whose titles and existing descriptions suggest themes of cities and animals, handled with striking imagination and an allegorical, symbolic bent. His writing does not aim at realistic representation but seeks to convey inner feeling through imagery and suggestion, in keeping with a symbolist orientation. As a writer who was also a painter, he is often noted for the visual quality of his prose, and he occupies a place at the meeting point of French-language literature and art in early twentieth-century Belgium.