Everything about Paul Et Virginie totally explained
Paul et Virginie (or
Paul and Virginia) is a
novel by
Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, first published in 1787. The novel's title characters are very good friends since birth who fall in love but sadly die when the ship "Le Saint-Geran" is
shipwrecked.
Written on the eve of the
French Revolution, the novel is hailed as Bernardin's finest work. It records the fate of a child of nature corrupted by the false, artificial sentimentality that prevailed at the time among the upper classes of France.
The
Nuttall Encyclopedia says of it,
"[itis a novel in which] there rises melodiously, as it were, the wail of a moribund world: everywhere wholesome Nature in unequal conflict with diseased, perfidious art; can't escape from it in the lowest hut, in the remotest island of the sea."
Saint-Pierre attacked the issues of divided social classes present in
eighteenth century French society (see
Estates general). In
Paul et Virginie, Saint-Pierre describes perfect equality occurring on Mauritius, where inhabitants share the same possessions, have equal amounts of land, and all work to cultivate it. They live in harmony, without violence or unrest. These beliefs of Saint-Pierre's echo those of
Enlightenment philosophers such as
Jean-Jacques Rousseau. Furthermore, Saint-Pierre argues for the
emancipation of slaves; in real life, he was a friend of
Mahe de Labourdonnais, the governor of Mauritius who provided training and encouragement for the island's natives. Although Paul and Virginie own slaves, they appreciate their labor and don't treat them badly. When other slaves in the novel are mistreated, the book's heroes confront the cruel masters.
The book also presents an Enlightenment view of religion: that God, or "Providence," had perfectly designed the world to be harmonious and pleasing. The characters of
Paul and Virginie live off the land without needing technology or man-made interference. For instance, they tell time by looking at the shadows of the trees. Norman Hampson mentions that Saint-Pierre’s idea of divine Providence was evident in that he "admired the forethought which ensured that dark-coloured fleas should be conspicuous on white skin," — that the earth was designed for man’s terrestrial happiness and convenience.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Paul Et Virginie'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://paul_et_virginie.totallyexplained.com">Paul et Virginie Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
