A Conjugal Scene

Couceiro, LuísProject Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.2

Word count: 11K words
Chapters: 2

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.Uma scena conjugal by Luís CouceiroAuthor: Couceiro, Luís,Language: Portuguese, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: May 11, 2008

Editor's review

Uma scena conjugal is a short public-domain work in Portuguese. It is not long and revolves around a scene of married life; the title itself suggests the presentation of a cross-section of a marriage. Its value lies in sketching everyday conflict and emotional tension in a compact form, making it a light entry point for reading Portuguese literature and a convenient short text for close reading in language study. As the e-edition comes from a public-domain compilation, the text can be freely quoted and used for classroom discussion. Readers should not expect grand narrative; it is better suited to attention to dialogue, scene arrangement, and subtle shifts in character psychology. For language learners, read through once for the gist, then analyze wording and sentence patterns paragraph by paragraph. Readers interested in Portuguese literature and short fiction on marriage may find it a worthwhile brief reading experiment.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Learners with basic Portuguese who wish to try short-form reading
Literary readers interested in short stories about marriage and family
Teachers and students needing public-domain Portuguese texts for classroom discussion or translation practice
Readers who prefer short works that can be finished in a single sitting

Not a good fit for

Readers with no Portuguese foundation and no辅助 tools
Readers expecting long plots and complex casts of characters
Researchers seeking systematic literary criticism or a heavily annotated edition

Reading tips

Read through once to grasp the scene and relationships; on the second pass, look up unfamiliar words and sort out the logic of the dialogue.
Read the dialogue passages aloud to feel the rhythm of spoken Portuguese and differences in tone between characters, as an aid to language learning.
After reading, write a hundred-word summary to check whether you have grasped the core conflict, then go back over missed details.
Read alongside short works on similar themes to compare how different authors approach marital scenes.

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

About how long is this work?

The available information does not state a specific word count, but judging by the usual form of public-domain short stories, it is a length that can be read in a relatively short time. Set aside one focused reading session to go through the full text, then do a second close reading as needed.

Can Portuguese beginners understand it?

Learners with basic grammar and common vocabulary can attempt it, but will need a dictionary or translation tool. It is advisable to read through first for the gist, then look up words paragraph by paragraph; do not get stuck on every unfamiliar word at the start, as this disrupts reading rhythm.

What is the story mainly about?

Judging by the title, the work focuses on a scene between a married couple, a cross-sectional portrayal of married life. For specific plot, refer to the main text; when reading, note how dialogue and scene details drive conflict or shifts in emotion.

Is it suitable for translation practice?

As a public-domain short story, the text can be freely used, and its moderate length makes it suitable as material for Portuguese-to-Chinese translation practice. It is advisable to first translate the dialogue passages yourself, then compare with others' translations or machine output to check tone and context.

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About the author

Couceiro, Luís Author

Luís Couceiro is a Portuguese-language playwright about whom little public information is available; details such as nationality, dates of birth and death, and educational background remain unrecorded. Judging from the two works held in the collection, his writing is concentrated in the field of drama. His representative works include the verse play A Nuvem: Peça dramatica, em verso, com prologo, dois actos e epilogo and Uma scena conjugal. The former is written in verse and structured with a prologue, two acts, and an epilogue, suggesting the author's familiarity with and command of traditional dramatic form; the latter, judging by its title, focuses on a married couple's domestic life and leans toward family ethics and everyday emotion. Both works are written in Portuguese, with a literary and stage-oriented style, and may be of interest to readers studying Portuguese-language drama of the period. Given the limited material available, a fuller picture of his oeuvre and his place in literary history remains to be explored.