Le Rhin
Le Rhin (French pronunciation: [lə ʁɛ̃], lit. The Rhine) is an 1842 travel guide written by Victor Hugo. Subtitled lettres à un ami (letters to a friend), it takes the form of letters describing the sights and landmarks of a journey along the Rhine and relating local legends. It concludes with a long political essay depicting a new European order, united by a Franco-German alliance.[1][2]
The book was based on journeys Hugo took in 1838, 1839, and 1840, and the letters he wrote during those journeys.[2][3] He edited and expanded the letters for publication, drawing on works of history, travel guides, and sagas and legends, and added the long conclusion.[2]
The first edition contains twenty-five letters covering the journey through Champagne and Belgium to Aachen, and from Cologne to Mainz, as well as the conclusion. The second edition contains a further fourteen letters covering the journey from Frankfurt to Lausanne.[2][3]
References
[edit]- ^ van Montfrans, Manet (1993). Borders and Territories. Rodopi. p. 137. ISBN 9789051835113.
- ^ a b c d Beller, Manfred (2017). "Victor Hugo's Le Rhin: French National Perspectives on a European River". In Leerssen, J. Th. (Joep); Beller, Manfred (eds.). The Rhine: National Tensions, Romantic Visions. Brill. ISBN 9789004344068.
- ^ a b Thompson, Christopher W. (2012). "Hugo: Le Rhin (1842 and 1845)". French Romantic Travel Writing Chateaubriand to Nerval. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199233540.
External links
[edit]- Le Rhin at Wikisource (in French)
- The Rhine: a tour from Paris to Mayence by the way of Aix-la-Chapelle, with an account of its legends, antiquities, and important historical events English translation on the Internet Archive