L'Éducation sentimentale

About “L'Éducation sentimentale”

On September 15, 1840, the ship Ville-de-Montereau was preparing to depart near the Saint-Bernard quay, emitting thick clouds of steam. People arrived breathlessly, and the deck was crowded with barrels, ropes, and baskets. The sailors ignored the commotion, and the noise was drowned by the steam escaping from metal plates. The ship finally left, and the two riverbanks, lined with shops, workshops, and factories, passed by like wide ribbons. A young man, eighteen years old, with long hair and holding an album under his arm, remained near the rudder. He gazed at churches and buildings whose names he did not know. He looked one last time at the Ile Saint-Louis, the Cité, and Notre-Dame, and as Paris disappeared, he sighed deeply.