books and territory / JOURNEYS and PLACES

Voyage Pitoresque aux Glacières De Savoye, fait en 1772

Author:

André César Bordier

Publication date:

1773

The title describes precisely the content of the book: a colorful description of an incredible journey through the glaciers in the French and Swiss Alps. There are not only information about the altitude of mountains and the depth of the crevasses, but also thoughts about the beauty of nature, the sweet loneliness that one can feel in the mountains, and even a debate about the harsh conditions of the miners that work in the local salt mines. A book that is delightful as a novel, but educational as an essay.

Je me rappellois l’effet que produisit ce spectacle sur M. de Voltaire:
» D’un tranquille Océan l’eau pure & transparente
» Baigne les bords fleuris de ces champs fortunés;
» D’innombrables coteaux ces champs font couronnés;
» Bacchus les embellit, leur insensible pente
» Vous conduit par degrés à ces monts sourcilleux
» Qui pressent les Enfers & qui fendent les Cieux.
[…]”Mon Lac est le premier„ dit-il dans un autre endroit; & son Lac c’est celui de Genève.

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