The Grandissimes

Cable, George Washington, 1844-1925Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

4.2

Word count: 652K words
Chapters: 66

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 Grandissimes by George Washington CableAuthor: Cable, George Washington, 1844-1925,Language: English, Class: PS: Language and Literatures: American and Canadian literature, Release Date: May 1, 2004

Editor's review

The Grandissimes is a representative novel by George Washington Cable, set in the French Quarter of New Orleans and centered on the entanglements between the Grandissime family and neighboring families, touching on inheritance, identity, race, and class. Cable lived for a long time in Louisiana and observed its Creole society and colonial history closely; his narrative features heavily localized dialogue and descriptions of customs. The book is suitable as supplementary reading for Southern American literature and nineteenth-century American race relations, and for readers interested in the history of multicultural cities. Because it was written in the late nineteenth century, some expressions require historicized scrutiny today; the original is in English and is recommended for readers with reasonable English proficiency, ideally read alongside background on the Reconstruction era. As a public-domain e-book, it is easy to obtain and suitable for course extension or independent reading.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Enthusiasts and researchers of Southern American literature and local-color writing
Readers seeking to understand nineteenth-century New Orleans Creole society and history
Readers with good English who are willing to read public-domain novels in the original
Students studying race and identity in American literature courses

Not a good fit for

Casual readers who prefer fast-paced contemporary plots and lack patience
Readers with weak English who struggle with nineteenth-century English dialogue
Readers seeking systematic historical argument rather than fictional narrative

Reading tips

Read a background piece on the Reconstruction era and New Orleans Creoles before starting the text.
When encountering dialect dialogue, read the whole paragraph for gist first rather than checking every word.
Use a character-relationship chart to track family entanglements and clarify narrative threads.
After finishing, revisit passages on race and class and make critical notes in historical context.

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

How difficult is the English in this book?

The original is late nineteenth-century English. Narration is manageable, but character dialogue carries regional accents and French-influenced spellings, posing a challenge for non-native readers. College-level English reading ability is recommended, with notes or a translation for comparison.

What historical background should I know before reading?

It helps to know about the Reconstruction era after the American Civil War, Louisiana's Creole communities, and the racial hierarchy of the time. This background aids understanding of the social structures behind the family disputes in the novel.

Is this a public-domain book, and can I get it for free?

The book is released by Project Gutenberg as a public-domain e-book and can be downloaded and read for free. For specific formats and access, refer to the platform's page.

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About the author

Cable, George Washington, 1844-1925 Author

George Washington Cable (1844–1925) was an American writer known for his works about Creole life in Louisiana. The library holds fourteen of his works, including The Grandissimes, Old Creole Days: A Story of Creole Life, Strange True Stories of Louisiana, Madame Delphine, John March, Southerner, Gideon's Band: A Tale of the Mississippi, Strong Hearts, and Kincaid's Battery. He often set his fiction in New Orleans and the Mississippi River region, portraying Creole customs, race relations, and historical change with delicate detail, local color, and realistic concern. Although the library classifies him under inspirational growth, his writing centers more on social life and human destiny. Public information is limited, so biographical details are omitted; readers may come to know his style and literary influence mainly through the works listed above.