BERNARDIN DE SAINT-PIERRE, Paul et Virginie , 1873

Edition illustrated by Bertall.
Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre (1737-1814) was a French writer and botanist, best known for his novel "Paul et Virginie." A student of Jean-Jacques Rousseau, he embodied the Rousseauist ideal in his work, advocating a return to nature and heightened sensitivity. This novel, first published in 1788, is a masterpiece of French pre-Romantic literature, famous for its idyllic descriptions of tropical nature and its tragic love story. "La Chaumière Indienne" reinforces the exotic and moral character of the whole, typical of the preoccupations of the time.