Le Selve: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
Le Selve: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.
Le Selve is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Ouida (1839–1908).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
"Le Selve" by Ouida is a novel written in the late 19th century. Set in the vast Italian woodlands of Lazio, it follows Cyrille, a Russian exile turned estate steward, whose humane, orderly reforms clash with the ingrained brutality, poverty, and customs of the local squatters. At its heart stands Muriella, a strong, devout peasant who alone understands him, creating a stark, tense portrait of conscience, class, and survival amid a merciless rural world. The opening of the novel shows an old peasant dying neglected by his family, as Cyrille arrives too late, rebukes their callousness, and meets Muriella in the night, who warns him he is in danger. The narrative then paints the history and grandeur of Le Selve and reveals Cyrille’s past as a Tolstoyan noble and political exile seeking purpose in stewardship, while the locals resent his curbs on theft, poaching, and abuse of “customary rights.” We see Caterina, the shrewd housekeeper; the grim burial at San Vitale that Muriella quietly oversees to prevent a fraud; and a kitchen scene where the under-steward Fausto and two friars rail at the “northerner” until Muriella defends his justice. At the start of this story, Muriella rejects Fausto’s advances, makes a pilgrimage to Viterbo to pray for Cyrille’s return home, endures her uncles’ suspicion, and continues to warn Cyrille that the men of the woods may kill him, while he contemplates helping her escape a hard life he cannot easily change.
Book and edition facts
- Title: Le Selve
- Author credits: Ouida (1839–1908)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- Country life -- Fiction
- Italy -- Fiction
- Peasants -- Fiction
- Young women -- Fiction
Gutenberg collections
- Category: British Literature
- Category: Novels
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View the complete Gutenberg catalogue record. Project Gutenberg identifies this edition as public domain in the United States; that designation does not establish its copyright status in every country.
Source notes
Catalogue metadata is public domain and is supplied through Gutendex, which imports Gutenberg's machine-readable catalogue. The automated synopsis is source-supplied, not an independently verified review. Author dates above describe the credited people; no ebook release date is presented as the book's original publication date.
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