The Pilgrims of the Rhine

"The Pilgrims of the Rhine" by Edward Bulwer Lytton is a romantic novel written during the early 19th century. The book features both enchanted fairy characters, such as Queen Nymphalin, and mortal protagonists like Trevylyan and Gertrude, whose intertwined fates lead them on a journey along the Rhine River. This journey, depicted against a backdrop of scenic beauty and legend, encompasses themes of love, loss, and the ideal contrasted with the real. At the start of the novel, readers are introduced to Queen Nymphalin, a fairy dissatisfied with the monotony of her court, who yearns for adventure. Nymphalin decides to travel up the Rhine for a change of scenery and to connect with fairy relatives. Parallel to her story, we meet Trevylyan and Gertrude, a young couple deeply in love, yet facing adversity due to Gertrude's fragile health brought on by consumption. As they make their way along the Rhine, intertwining narratives reveal their loves, dreams, and the inevitable sorrows that accompany romantic entanglements, entwined with the enchanting charm of the fairy world. The beginning sets the tone for a richly woven tale that combines the natural beauty of the Rhine with poignant human emotions and supernatural elements. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Edward George Earle Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton,, was an English writer and politician. He served as a Whig member of Parliament from 1831 to 1841 and a Conservative from 1851 to 1866. He was Secretary of State for the Colonies from June 1858 to June 1859, choosing Richard Clement Moody as founder of British Columbia. He was created Baron Lytton of Knebworth in 1866.