"My father tried to awaken in me the feelings of affection. He talked of Geneva, which I should soon visit, of Elizabeth and Ernest; but these words only drew deep groans from me. Sometimes, indeed, I felt a wish for happiness and thought with melancholy delight of my beloved cousin or longed, with a devouring
maladie du pays, to see once more the blue lake and rapid Rhone, that had been so dear to me in early childhood; but my general state of feeling was a torpor in which a prison was as welcome a residence as the divinest scene in nature; and these fits were seldom interrupted but by paroxysms of anguish and despair." pg 174
There were just some things in this quote that stuck out to me mostly because I don't know what they mean or what they are. So it's time to learn!
maladie du pays - homesickness
Found from
this forum post!
So I know where the Rhine is, but where in the blazes is the Rhone?
Right there!
And finally
paroxysm - any sudden, violent outburst; a fit of violent action or emotion.... HA!
I bet I decided "Rhone" was a typo. Hmph. No dice.
ReplyDelete