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The Goose Man

Wassermann, Jakob, 1873-1934Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.6
Word count
1.1M words
Chapters
109
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Tags

English Originals Foreign Literature Portrait GalleryFate and FortuneFamily RelationsPower GameComplex HumanityPsychological InsightWeird TalesMelodramaSatirical StyleFemme Fatale

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 Goose Man by Jakob WassermannAuthor: Wassermann, Jakob, 1873-1934,Language: English, Class: PT: Language and Literatures: Germanic, Scandinavian, and Icelandic literatures, Release Date: May 6, 2008

Editor's review

The Goose Man is a novel by Jakob Wassermann, situated in the German literary tradition. Wassermann excelled at rendering with fine brushstrokes the tension between individual destiny and social circumstance, and this work likewise continues his concern with human nature, desire, and moral predicament. This edition from Project Gutenberg is an English electronic text in the public domain, giving readers direct access to a translation of the original. In reading, it is worth noting how the character relationships unfold and how the narrative perspective shifts; Wassermann does not rely on dramatic conflict for effect but accumulates emotion and tension through everyday detail. For readers familiar with modern German fiction, this work offers a path into the literary landscape of early twentieth-century Europe; for those encountering Wassermann for the first time, it is advisable first to accept his slower narrative pace, then to appreciate the layers of the characters' psychology. Overall, this is a work that requires patience to enter but leaves a lingering aftertaste for thought.

Who it's for

A good fit for

  • Readers interested in German literature and twentieth-century European fiction
  • Literary readers who enjoy fine psychological description and do not mind a slow narrative pace
  • Readers seeking to broaden their English reading through public-domain electronic texts
  • Readers concerned with themes of human nature, desire, and moral predicament

Not a good fit for

  • Readers who prefer strongly plotted, fast-paced genre fiction
  • Readers entirely unfamiliar with the German literary background who are unwilling to learn any context
  • Learners with limited English reading ability who hope to start with easy readers

Reading tips

  1. Read the opening chapters first to gauge the narrative pace, then decide whether to read straight through, so as to avoid giving up midway because of the slow pace.
  2. While reading, watch for clues to changes in character relationships; a simple list of the main characters and their connections can help in grasping the structure.
  3. If English reading proves difficult, find a reliable Chinese translation for comparison: understand the plot first, then return to the original to appreciate the language.
  4. After finishing, write a few thoughts on “personal choice and environmental pressure” to clarify the work's thematic direction.

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
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51
  52. 52
  53. 53
  54. 54
  55. 55
  56. 56
  57. 57
  58. 58
  59. 59
  60. 60
  61. 61
  62. 62
  63. 63
  64. 64
  65. 65
  66. 66
  67. 67
  68. 68
  69. 69
  70. 70
  71. 71
  72. 72
  73. 73
  74. 74
  75. 75
  76. 76
  77. 77
  78. 78
  79. 79
  80. 80
  81. 81
  82. 82
  83. 83
  84. 84
  85. 85
  86. 86
  87. 87
  88. 88
  89. 89
  90. 90
  91. 91
  92. 92
  93. 93
  94. 94
  95. 95
  96. 96
  97. 97
  98. 98
  99. 99
  100. 100
  101. 101
  102. 102
  103. 103
  104. 104
  105. 105
  106. 106
  107. 107
  108. 108
  109. 109

FAQ

What is the relationship between this book and its author, Wassermann?
The Goose Man is a novel by Jakob Wassermann; the materials list the author as Wassermann (1873–1934). What Project Gutenberg releases is an English public-domain electronic text of the work, classified under Germanic and Scandinavian literatures; it is not an original Chinese work.
What reading approach suits the Project Gutenberg edition?
The Project Gutenberg edition is a free public-domain electronic text, suitable for reading, searching, and excerpting on electronic devices. As it is an English text, it is advisable to choose between reading straight through or reading alongside a translation according to your language level, and to note that electronic formatting may affect the rhythm of long paragraphs; adjusting font size and line spacing as needed can help.
What can I do if I find it hard to keep reading?
You can first skip overly detailed descriptive passages and focus on the main characters and events; you can also read a Chinese translation first to understand the overall story, then return to the English text and read selected key chapters. If it still feels remote, you might treat it as a sample for understanding the style of early twentieth-century German fiction, rather than insisting on finishing it in one go.

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About the author

Wassermann, Jakob, 1873-1934 Author

Jakob Wassermann (1873-1934) is a notable novelist and essayist in early twentieth-century German-language literature. Public information about him is limited, and details of his life are difficult to verify, yet the twenty-one works held in the collection reveal the diversity of his output. Novels such as The World's Illusion and The Man of Forty show his sustained attention to individual fate and inner life, while Caspar Hauser, or the Inertia of the Heart uses a historical figure to examine human nature and society. Story collections including The Never-Kissed Lips and The Conductress are concise in style, drawing on everyday subjects with psychological depth. He also wrote essays and studies, such as Imaginary Bridges, and addressed his own identity in My Way as a German and a Jew. His works often interweave realistic observation, psychological portrayal, and moral inquiry, in a composed and reflective style.

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