I. Capítulo 1
, 1841.
: , , . : , ; , . ; , , , , , .
A short novella about twin brothers for B2
The Corsican Brothers Una familia corsa
Alexandre Dumas, 1912
Alexandre Dumas’s 1844 novella in a Spanish translation published in 1912 as Una familia corsa, not an adaptation. In the catalog it is B2: about 28,900 words and 17 words per sentence on average. 10 chapters: the narrator’s journey through Corsica, then Paris, where the chapters read more easily.
- B2
- 28 865 words
- 5-8 hours
Will this text hold?
B1
Earlier
At B1 the long sentences of the Corsican chapters and the old-fashioned turns of the 1912 translation, such as Helo aquí, will get in the way.
B1B2
This text
You can manage it at B2: the Corsican chapters need attention to long descriptions, and the Paris part moves in shorter sentences.
Check this passageC1
With room to spare
At C1 the novella reads freely; only Corsican place names and customs slow you down.
Start readingThe average sentence has 17 words, longer than in Unamuno’s Mist (13) or Quiroga’s stories (14). One word in twelve has 9 letters or more: more often than in Mist (one in fourteen), slightly less often than in Quiroga (one in eleven). The difficulty is uneven: the Corsican chapters I-VI average about 19 words per sentence, the Paris chapters VII-X about 14. The 1912 translation sounds old-fashioned at times (reir without an accent, Helo aquí), but the vocabulary is plain. Hence B2. This is the catalog’s assessment, not a certificate.
- 28 865
- words
- 17
- words in an average sentence
- 5-8
- hours of reading
- 1912
- Casa Editorial Sopena
Casa Editorial Sopena, 1912. Project Gutenberg
What it is about, without the ending
In the spring of 1841 the narrator travels through Corsica and stays with the de Franchi family. Young Lucien de Franchi tells him that his twin brother Louis is in Paris training to be a lawyer, and that the twins feel each other across any distance. The narrator watches Lucien reconcile two families who fell out over a hen, and back in Paris he takes Louis a letter from his brother. There he learns that Louis has a dangerous rival. How it ends is not revealed here.
Compare two places
Una familia corsa
VIII. Capítulo 8
, , . , ¿ ? ; ; , , ... . ¿ ? , , .
Choose an underlined word.
A trip for five francs
The narrator writes travel notes with irony, and the sentences rest on contrasts: se compra o se alquila, si se le alquila..., si se le compra... Se embarca uno is an impersonal “one boards the ship”. Diarios means “a day” here, not “newspapers”. Reir without an accent is the 1912 spelling of today’s reír.
A story told as talk
Louis speaks briefly, almost conversationally: ¿no es cierto? and Pues... keep his listener with him. Se hizo presentar means “had himself introduced”. Ignoraba means “did not know” here, not “ignored”: Yo mismo lo ignoraba, o mejor dicho... (“I did not know myself, or rather...”).
Where the text gets harder
I-VICorsica: longer sentences
VII-XParis: shorter sentences
Translation while you read
The book stays free on every plan. Reader, €1 a month, removes the daily limit on words and sentences.
Reader
€1 a month
In chapters I, IV and VI sentences average 20-22 words: translating the whole sentence in Reader keeps you on track through the descriptions of Corsica.
ReaderIf this book is not the one
Spanish books B1 Earlier The Count of Monte Cristo El conde de Montecristo Another book by the same author B1
All books at this level
Before you read
Is this the original or a learner adaptation?
It is Alexandre Dumas’s complete novella in a Spanish translation, not an adaptation. The French original, Les Frères corses, came out in 1844; in Spanish it is called Una familia corsa here. The reader follows the 1912 Barcelona edition by Sopena, which does not name the translator.
Is there an audiobook?
The Corsican Brothers has no audiobook on MovaReader: here the novella is read. The translation appears when you tap a word, and you will need it most for bookish words such as modicidad and the old-fashioned turns of the translation.
Can I translate a whole sentence?
Yes, with the Reader plan. In this novella it helps most in chapters I, IV and VI, where sentences average 20-22 words. Without the plan, single words are translated up to the daily limit.
How many hours does it take?
The whole novella takes about 5-8 hours: the pace of someone reading with translation of new words, slower than a native speaker’s. Chapters run from 1,800 to 4,500 words, so one makes an evening.
Where does the text get easier?
From chapter VII. The Corsican part, chapters I-VI, averages about 19 words per sentence, the Paris part, VII-X, about 14.
Will my place in the book be saved?
Yes. Once you sign in, the reader keeps your last place and the words you opened, so you can come back to the novella every evening where you left off. Any of the 10 chapters also opens from the contents on this page, for example chapter VII, where the Paris part begins.