Published by Longmans, Green And Co: London 1896 1st Edition
Provenance: Ex Port Adelaide Institute
Lectures on French Literature, delivered in Melbourne by Irma Dreyfus and published in 1896 by Longmans, Green & Co., stands as a fascinating record of late-Victorian intellectual life in Australia. Dreyfus, a gifted French scholar and lecturer, brought to Melbourne audiences a vivid, elegant survey of the major movements and writers shaping French literary tradition. This first edition includes a finely printed portrait of Dreyfus, lending a personal dimension to a work already rich with cultural insight, and provides a rare glimpse into the cosmopolitan ambitions of colonial Australia at the turn of the century.
The book gathers her lectures in their translated form—rendered into English by James Smith—yet retains the fluency, charm, and interpretive sharpness that defined Dreyfus's reputation in Melbourne's literary circles. She guides the reader from classical French foundations through the romantic revival and into the realism and modernity emerging in the nineteenth century. Her treatment of major figures such as Corneille, Racine, Molière, Hugo, and Balzac reflects both an authoritative academic voice and a lively enthusiasm intended for general audiences. The result is a text that reads as both introduction and appreciation, bridging scholarly narrative with accessible commentary.
This particular copy carries wonderful historical character through its provenance. It was part of the Port Adelaide Institute circulating library, with surviving labels, stamps, and borrower's markings that connect it directly to civic reading culture in early twentieth-century South Australia. These remnants enhance rather than detract from its appeal, marking it as a well-travelled and well-valued educational volume from an era when public institutes shaped community learning. A compelling acquisition for collectors of Australian literary history, enthusiasts of French literature, and those drawn to books with strong institutional provenance."
General wear and fading to covers and spine as pictured. Ex Port Adelaide Institute copy with markings as shown. Title page cluster sits loose otherwise binding decent with original rough cut pages. Pages are clean and well presented with some light pencil annotations. Good condition overall if not for loose cluster as noted. Please study photos to further understand condition.
Size 21.5cm x 16cm x 4.5cm - 471 Pages
