The "Characters" of Jean de La Bruyère by Jean de La Bruyère
Read now or download (free!)
| Choose how to read this book | Url | Size | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Read online (web) | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46633.html.images | 1.2 MB | ||||
| EPUB3 (E-readers incl. Send-to-Kindle) | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46633.epub3.images | 1.5 MB | ||||
| EPUB (older E-readers) | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46633.epub.images | 1.5 MB | ||||
| EPUB (no images, older E-readers) | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46633.epub.noimages | 498 kB | ||||
| Kindle | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46633.kf8.images | 1.8 MB | ||||
| older Kindles | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46633.kindle.images | 1.8 MB | ||||
| Plain Text UTF-8 | https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/46633.txt.utf-8 | 936 kB | ||||
| Download HTML (zip) | https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/46633/pg46633-h.zip | 1.4 MB | ||||
| There may be more files related to this item. | ||||||
About this eBook
| Author | La Bruyère, Jean de, 1645-1696 |
|---|---|
| Translator | Van Laun, Henri, 1820-1896 |
| Uniform Title | Les caractères. English |
| Title | The "Characters" of Jean de La Bruyère |
| Note | Reading ease score: 56.4 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. |
| Contents | Introduction -- Biographical memoir -- Preface -- Of works of the mind -- Of personal merit -- Of women -- Of the affections -- Of society and of conversation -- Of the gifts of fortune -- Of the town -- Of the court -- Of the great -- Of the sovereign and the state -- Of mankind -- Of opinions -- Of fashion -- Of certain customs -- Of the pulpit -- Of freethinkers. |
| Credits |
Produced by Gary Rees, Turgut Dincer and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) |
| Summary | "The 'Characters' of Jean de La Bruyère" by Jean de La Bruyère is a collection of moral and social reflections written in the late 17th century. The work examines human nature and the follies of society, presenting a series of character sketches that criticize and illuminate the social norms and behaviors of the time. La Bruyère himself is highlighted as a keen observer and critic of the human condition, drawing on his experiences within the court and social circles of his era. At the start of "Characters," the introduction offers insight into La Bruyère's perspective on morality, literature, and society. It makes clear that while he does not aim to create maxims, his work is a detailed observation of the humankind's passions and vices. He states that his characters are composites drawn from various individuals, allowing for a broader commentary on human nature rather than merely painting specific portraits. This section sets the tone for an exploration of societal behavior at the end of the 17th century, where La Bruyère's nuanced critique addresses the superficiality of human interactions and the consequences of pride and Vanity amidst the backdrop of Louis XIV's courtly life. (This is an automatically generated summary.) |
| Language | English |
| LoC Class | PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese |
| Subject | Characters and characteristics |
| Subject | Character sketches -- Early works to 1800 |
| Category | Text |
| EBook-No. | 46633 |
| Release Date | Aug 19, 2014 |
| Copyright Status | Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads | 468 downloads in the last 30 days. |
| Project Gutenberg eBooks are always free! | |
