5.05 Classens 1841
E. A. Classens de Jongste, Souvenirs d’une promenade au Mont Vésuve, Naples 1841
Fa 230-4415 raro IV
In Classens de Jongstes’ Souvenirs d’une promenade au Mont Vésuve, impressions and information about Vesuvius and its surroundings are collected in a souvenir-like manner. The ‘souvenirs’ here, however, are not objects or illustrations, but texts. An introduction by the author with key historical facts about the eruptions of Vesuvius and Etna and the Naples area in general is followed by descriptions of various places, such as Herculaneum, Pompeii, Sorrento, Ischia and the Blue Grotto. In addition, there are brief, lexicon-like notes at the end about individual attractions that provide additional information. This is followed by quotes from various poets who wrote about Vesuvius in their works, which clearly focuses the book on the volcano. Thus, among others, no less than Madame de Staël, René Richard Louis Castel or Charles-Julien Lioult de Chênedollé are mentioned; the former with an excerpt from a prose work and the latter two with lyrical texts. The words of the famous poets underline the pathos of the author, who expresses himself through numerous rhetorical figures such as metaphors and exclamations and transmits a positive image of Italy to the French. Numerous editions testify to the popularity of this work. [HS]
