Travel Essays · Chapter
Upper Gévaudan explained
The narrator continues his journey through the rugged landscape of Upper Gévaudan, facing harsh weather, difficult terrain, and unhelpful locals.
What happens
The narrator continues his journey through the rugged landscape of Upper Gévaudan, facing harsh weather, difficult terrain, and unhelpful locals. After a night camping in the dark, he reaches the village of Cheylard and later Luc, reflecting on the contrast between his romantic ideals of adventure and the gritty reality of travel.
Themes in this chapter
Travel and Discovery
The narrator's arduous journey through the Gévaudan landscape, seeking adventure and confronting the realities of travel.
Nature and the Sublime
The wild, stormy weather and rugged terrain evoke a sense of the sublime, as the narrator experiences both hardship and awe.
Freedom vs. Confinement
The narrator reflects on the freedom of the open road versus the confinement of civilization, finding liberation in the harsh conditions.
Characters to notice
- Modestine
The narrator's donkey, who struggles with the terrain and requires constant steering.
- The Priest
An old gentleman who escorts the narrator partway to Cheylard, expressing horror at his misadventure.
Key passages
“The way also here was very wearisome through dirt and slabbiness; nor was there on all this ground so much as one inn or victualling-house wherein to refresh the feebler sort.”
The path was extremely tiring due to mud and filth, and there was no inn or food stall anywhere to help the weary traveler.
Opening quote from Pilgrim's Progress sets the tone for the chapter's hardships.
“The Beast of Gévaudan ate about a hundred children of this district; I began to think of him with sympathy.”
The legendary Beast of Gévaudan supposedly devoured around a hundred local children; the narrator humorously sympathizes with the beast after dealing with rude girls.
Dark humor reflecting the narrator's frustration with unhelpful locals.