Zibeline — Volume 3

Philippe de Massa (Alexandre-Philippe Régnier, marquis de Massa)Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.7

Word count: 91K words
Chapters: 10

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.Zibeline — Volume 3 by marquis de Philippe MassaAuthor: Massa, Philippe, marquis de, 1831-1911,Language: English, Class: PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Release Date: Apr 1, 2003

Editor's review

This book is the third volume of Marquis Philippe de Massa's novel Zibeline, a page in the nineteenth-century French popular novel tradition. As a public-domain ebook, its value lies first in accessibility: readers can encounter a work by a French author rarely reprinted today without buying a print copy. This volume continues the character relationships and plot developments of the first two volumes and suits readers interested in the social customs, salon life, and sentimental narrative of the French Second Empire. It should not be read in isolation but placed within the structure of the whole work, with attention to the author's handling of dialogue, scene transitions, and character psychology. The Project Gutenberg formatting facilitates searching and citation and suits close reading or translation practice by researchers. Note that this volume is not self-contained; its plotlines depend on earlier text, and newcomers may find the character relationships confusing. Moreover, the narrative pace of nineteenth-century fiction differs considerably from what today's readers are used to and requires patience. Overall, this is an ebook suited to extended reading as a marginal text of French literature, not an entry-level classic.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Literature students studying nineteenth-century French popular fiction
Readers of history and literature interested in French Second Empire social customs
Translators needing public-domain French literary texts for translation practice
Readers accustomed to e-reading who are willing to follow a long novel volume by volume

Not a good fit for

Readers hoping for a complete, self-contained story in a single volume
General readers who prefer fast-paced modern narrative and lack patience
Beginners to classic literature needing detailed notes and introductions

Reading tips

Read Volumes 1 and 2 before this one to avoid breaks in character relationships and plotlines.
Jot down characters' titles and family relations as you read; forms of address change frequently in nineteenth-century French fiction.
Compare English translation passages with the French original to appreciate the linguistic layers of dialogue and social scenes.
Summarize each chapter's plot development in two or three sentences to help grasp this volume's place in the whole work.

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

Can this book be read on its own?

Not advisable. This is Volume 3 of Zibeline, and its character relationships and backstory depend on the first two volumes; read alone, the plot will seem to jump and characters' motives unclear. Best to read in volume order, or at least learn the main characters and events of the first two volumes first.

What are the features of the Project Gutenberg edition?

Project Gutenberg provides free public-domain electronic texts with clean formatting, convenient for full-text search and copying for citation, and suitable for reading and textual research. But it usually lacks modern scholarly notes, introductions, or detailed textual apparatus, so historical background and allusions must be researched elsewhere.

Will English readers have trouble with this French novel?

The English translation is readable linguistically, but the work involves nineteenth-century French social titles, salon etiquette, and customs that can feel remote without background knowledge. Before reading, briefly familiarize yourself with the social structure of the Second Empire, or consult related historical works.

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About the author

Philippe de Massa (Alexandre-Philippe Régnier, marquis de Massa) Author · French · 1831–1910

Philippe de Massa (1831–1910) was a French writer, composer and playwright born in Paris. He came from a military background, took part in the Italian War and the Franco-Prussian War, and was awarded the Legion of Honour. His novel Zibeline (1892) won the Prix Juy of the Académie française, and he also wrote numerous comedies, operas and ballet librettos. The library holds five of his works, chiefly different volumes and the complete edition of Zibeline, along with a collection of quotes and images drawn from it. Public information is limited; his writing spans fiction and stage scripts, often dealing with high society and social life in a light, dramatic style. The award and multiple editions of Zibeline reflect his modest influence in late nineteenth-century French popular literature and theatre.