Project Gutenberg 2017-04-26 Public domain in the USA. 268 Serao, Matilde 1856 1927 Scarfoglia, Matilde Serao Serao-Scarfoglia, Matilde The Land of Cockayne: A Novel Produced by Andrés V. Galia, Charlie Howard, Chris Curnow and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/American Libraries.) "The Land of Cockayne: A Novel" by Matilde Serao is a work of fiction written in the late 19th century. The narrative explores the lives of various characters from the lower social strata of Naples, particularly focusing on their aspirations and struggles, centered around themes of fortune and despair, often represented through the lottery. Key figures in the story include Carmela, a seamstress with a wearied yet hopeful demeanor, and other townsfolk who are drawn into the world of gambling, revealing the underlying social tensions and dreams of a better life. The opening of the novel introduces the picturesque but melancholic setting of Naples, where the anticipation of a lottery drawing brings together a diverse group of people, united by their hopes for fortune. Through vivid descriptions, Serao paints a scene of a bustling street and an eager crowd, highlighting characters such as Michele, the shoeblack, and Carmela, who yearns for a small slice of hope amidst her struggles. As the crowd waits, their conversations reveal their intimate relationship with gambling and the lottery, which serves as both an escape from their harsh realities and a source of deep disappointment. The atmosphere shifts dramatically when the lottery drawing commences, eliciting emotional responses from the crowd and culminating in a strong sense of despair as hopes are dashed, setting the tone for the social commentary that unfolds throughout the novel. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 78.7 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en Italy -- Fiction Italian fiction -- Translations into English PQ Text Category: Novels 895113 2025-07-22T03:35:12.051189 text/html 888123 2024-10-23T02:01:29 text/html 586282 2025-07-22T03:35:21.325124 application/epub+zip 583921 2025-07-22T03:35:13.268208 application/epub+zip 441583 2025-07-22T03:35:12.656174 application/epub+zip 821226 2025-07-22T03:35:27.626144 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 761961 2025-07-22T03:35:20.684169 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 620028 2022-09-24T21:39:44.205687 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 844165 2025-07-22T03:35:10.085204 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 824239 2024-10-23T02:01:29 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 16780 2025-07-22T03:35:27.755109 application/rdf+xml 31000 2025-07-22T03:35:12.768197 image/jpeg 3808 2025-07-22T03:35:12.712199 image/jpeg 526463 2025-07-22T03:35:12.125212 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog it.wikipedia en.wikipedia