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- Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
- Rambles in Germany and Italy in 1840, 1842, and 1843, vol. 1 of 2
audiobook
Rambles in Germany and Italy in 1840, 1842, and 1843, vol. 1 of 2
by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Chapters
25 totalPART I.—1840.
LETTER I. Project for spending the Summer on the Banks of the Lake of Como.—Fine Spring.—Stormy Weather.—Passage from Dover to Calais.—The Diligence.—Paris.—Plan of our Route.
LETTER II. Journey to Metz.—A Day spent at Metz.—Proceed to Trèves.—Enter Prussia.—Trèves.—Voyage down the Moselle.—Slow Steamboat up the Rhine to Mayence.—Railroad to Franckfort.
LETTER III. Darmstadt.—Heidelberg.—Carlsruhe.—Baden-Baden.
LETTER IV. Offenberg.—Ettenheim.—Freyberg.—The Höllenthal—The Black Forest.—Arrive at Schaffhausen.
LETTER V. The Rhine.—Zurich.—Journey to Coire.—Via Mala.—The Splugen.—Chiavenna.—Colico.—The Steamboat on the Lake of Como to Cadenabbia.
LETTER VI. Albergo Grande della Cadenabbia.—The Brothers Brentani.—The view from our windows.—The Madman.—Arrival of the boat.
LETTER VII. Excursions on the Lake.—Manzoni’s Ode of “Cinque Maggio.”
LETTER VIII. Voyage to Como.—The Opera.—Walk towards Menaggio.
LETTER IX. Italian Poetry.—Italian Master.—The Country People.—The Fulcino.—Grand Festa.—Adieu to Cadenabbia.
Description
Through a steady stream of letters written from carriage windows and mountain passes, this narrator guides listeners across the landscapes of Germany and Italy during the early 1840s. Her observations mix practical travel details—train schedules, inns, and winding roads—with vivid sketches of architecture, scenery, and the everyday rhythms of townsfolk. The tone feels intimate, as though a well‑read companion is sitting beside you, noting both the familiar and the unexpected.
In Italy she moves beyond the usual tourist clichés, describing the warmth, intelligence, and subtle pride of the people while probing the political ferment that follows the recent uprisings. The German sections reveal a contrasting orderliness and a different set of cultural customs, giving a balanced picture of two very distinct regions. Listeners will appreciate the blend of personal anecdote, historical context, and the author's gentle humor, making the journey feel both educational and warmly human.
Collections
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Language
en
Duration
~6 hours (360K characters)
Release date
2024-08-20
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
About the author
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
1797–1851
Best known for creating Frankenstein, this groundbreaking Romantic-era writer helped shape both Gothic fiction and early science fiction. Her life was filled with intellectual ambition, personal loss, and the kind of dramatic history that still echoes through her work.
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