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Read The Man Naked in French, with English beside it
Original title: L'homme tout nu
by Catulle Mendès · 1841–1909
"L'homme tout nu" by Catulle Mendès is a novel written in the late 19th century. It is a playful, satirical medieval romance centered on the impulsive young knight Pierre de Pierrefeu, with his bibulous brother Marcabrus and his austerely devout brother Aymeril, set against the famed Court of Love at Romanin where desire and decorum collide. Expect bawdy misadventures, lyrical pastiche of troubadour culture, and witty judicial debates on love. The opening of this novel places us in a stylized twelfth-century Provence, where three sons of a dissipated lord part ways: Marcabrus heads to Toulouse to pour wine, Aymeril to the Crusade in pious zeal, and Pierre—left only with a superb horse and splendid clothes—rides off to seek amorous glory. A legend explains Romanin’s new tower: lovers Doulce and Antiphanor perish in a fire rather than end their embrace, establishing the castle as a stage for annual “Courts of Love.” In these sessions, the comtesse Phanette and notable ladies adjudicate cases—from a childhood promise reduced to a kiss on a sleeve, to a peeping Templar’s exile, to a diacre’s right to love, and a dispute over whether a lady must leave a lamp lit for her lover. Proceedings pause when the famed paragon of chastity, Clermonde des Iles-d’Or, bursts in to protest that she has been kissed in the woods by a naked man. The narrative then shows how Pierre, after rescuing the inn-servant Mariotte from a jealous tavernkeeper, is ambushed by routiers who spare him but steal his horse and finery, even gifting his fine shirt to Mariotte—leaving him completely bare and fleeing into the forest, abashed and alone.
Summary generated automatically by Project Gutenberg.
- Read time
- 228 min
- Words
- 50,231
- Chapters
- 42
- Paragraphs
- 1,201
- Price
- Free
- French fiction -- 19th century
--Pour Dieu, sire, ne vous faites pas un jeu de me railler; de vrai, un seigneur qui a un si bel habit et un si beau cheval ne voudrait pas aimer une telle pauvre fille.
--For God’s sake, sir, do not make a jest of mocking me; truly, a lord who wears such fine clothes and rides such a fine horse would not wish to love such a poor girl.
Questions about The Man Naked
Can I read The Man Naked in French with English side by side online?
Yes, free. Paralelo shows the French original with a English machine translation beside it, aligned phrase by phrase: hover or tap a phrase and its counterpart lights up in the other column. Anyone can read a passage; a free account opens the whole book.
What level do I need to read The Man Naked here?
There is no set level. The Man Naked runs to 50,231 words in 42 chapters, and the translation sits beside it, aligned phrase by phrase, so you can start below the level the original would need on its own and lean on the translation only where you stumble.
Is The Man Naked really free to read?
Yes. The text is in the public domain, and the translation and alignment are ours to give. A free account opens the whole book; the paid tier is for unlimited explanations.
Can I read The Man Naked in another language?
Not yet. Each language is its own translation and alignment run, and titles are queued by demand: open the book in that language and press “Ask for priority” to move it up the queue.
How long does The Man Naked take to read?
About 4 hours at a normal pace, longer if you stop to look at the alignment, which is rather the point.
Book details
- Original language
- French
- Translation
- English, machine translation
- Source text
- Project Gutenberg #78059
- Licence
- Public domain worldwide
Guides that recommend books in French
All guides →More originally in FrenchSame language, same shelf
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