Lanterna Rally

Author: UNKNOWN. AUTHOR

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2015-07-14

Total Pages: 502

ISBN-13: 9781331391524

Excerpt from An Englishman in Paris: Notes and Recollections Long before Baron Haussmann began his architectural transformation, many parts of Paris had undergone changes, perceptible only to those who had been brought up among the inhabitants, though distinct from them in nationality, education, habits, and tastes. Paris became to a certain extent, and not altogether voluntarily, cosmopolitan before the palatial mansions, the broad avenues, the handsome public squares which subsequently excited the admiration of the civilized world had been dreamt of, and while its outer aspect was as yet scarcely modified. This was mainly due to the establishment of railways, which caused in the end large influxes of foreigners and provincials, who, as it were, drove the real Parisian from his haunts. Those visitors rarely penetrated in large numbers to the very heart of the Quartier-Latin. When they crossed the bridges that span the Seine, it was to see the Sorbonne, the Pantheon, the Observatory, the Odeon, and the Luxembourg; they rarely stayed after nightfall. The Prado, the Theatre Bobino, the students' taverns, escaped their observation when there was really something to see; and now, when the Closerie des Lilas has become the Bal Bullier, when the small theatre has been demolished, and when the taverns are in no way distinguished from other Parisian taverns - when, in short, commonplace pervades the whole - people flock thither very often. But during the whole of the forties, and even later, the vive gauche, with its Quarter-Latin and adjacent Faubourg St. Germain were almost entirely sacred from the desecrating stare of the deliberate sight-seer; and, consequently, the former especially, preserved its individuality, not only materially, but mentally and morally - immorally would perhaps have been the word that would have risen to the lips of the observer who lacked the time and inclination to study the life led there deeper than it appeared merely on the surface. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.