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Novels & StoriesPaul and VirginiaBernardin de Saint-PierrePaul and Virginia

Paul and Virginia

Bernardin de Saint-Pierre

Novels & StoriesEnglish
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On the tropical island of Mauritius, then the French Île de France, two young mothers living apart from French society raise their children, Paul and…

Catalogue details

Author
Bernardin de Saint-Pierre
Category
Novels & Stories
Language
English
Source
Project Gutenberg

About this book

On the tropical island of Mauritius, then the French Île de France, two young mothers living apart from French society raise their children, Paul and Virginia, together in a remote valley, far from the corruption of civilisation. The two grow up in innocent love among the forests and mountains, until Virginia is sent to France by a rich aunt to be educated and married, and her voyage home brings the story to its famous storm.

Context and significance

Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre (1737–1814), a disciple of Rousseau who had lived on Mauritius, published the novel in 1788, and it was one of the best-selling books of its age, admired by Napoleon. Its lush descriptions of tropical nature influenced the Romantic writers. Compare Atala by Chateaubriand.

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