Les Vies Encloses
1896
A novel written in the late 19th century. The work explores themes of introspection and the human condition through a series of poetic reflections. The narrative seems to delve deeply into the emotional states of its characters, using metaphor and vivid imagery to illustrate their internal struggles, particularly focusing on visions of isolation and contemplation. At the start of the novel, the opening chapter titled ''Aquarium Mental'' presents an evocative metaphor comparing the state of the mind to a glass aquarium filled with water. The water, described as tranquil and isolated, serves as a reflection of the protagonist’s introspective journey, suggesting a profound connection between the physical and the mental realms. Through a meditative lens, the text invites readers to contemplate their own thoughts and emotions, establishing a somber yet poetic atmosphere that serves as a backdrop for the exploration of memory, solitude, and perception. The imagery of water, light, and shadows intertwines with references to nature and human experiences, laying the foundation for further thematic developments in the story.
Editions
X-Ray
“The widower reviewed his past in a sunless light which was intensified by the greyness of the November twilight, whilst the bells subtly impregnated the surrounding atmosphere with the melody of sounds that faded like the ashes of dead years.””
— Georges Rodenbach
“As he walked, the sad faded leaves were driven pitilessly around him by the wind, and under the mingling influences of autumn and evening, a craving for the quietude of the grave … overtook him with unwanted intensity.””
— Georges Rodenbach
“Dissonance is as fatal in ailments of the mind as it is in those of the body.””
— Georges Rodenbach
“Bruges was his dead wife. And his dead wife was Bruges. The two were united in a like destiny. It was Bruges-la-Morte, the dead town entombed in its stone quais, with the arteries of its canals cold once the great pulse of the sea had ceased beating in them.””
— Georges Rodenbach
“On dirait que les projets de joie sont un défi.Trop longuement préparés,ils laissent le temps à la detinée de changer les oeufs dans le nid,et ce sont les chagrins qui nous faudra couver.””
— Georges Rodenbach
“Every town is a state of mind, a mood which, after only a short stay, communicates itself, spreads to us in an effluvium which impregnates us, which we absorb with the very air.””
— Georges Rodenbach
“Il y a donc des amours pareils à ces fruits de la Mer Morte qui ne vous laissent à la bouche qu'un goût de cendre impérissable.””
— Georges Rodenbach
“También era un alma piadosa, con esa fe de Flandes donde subsiste un poco del catolicismo español, esa fe en la que el terror y los escrúpulos pesan más que la confianza, y que siente más miedo del infierno que nostalgia del cielo"."Brujas la muerta" (1892), capítulo VIII, p. 64.””
— Georges Rodenbach
“It is precisely resemblance that reconciles habit and novelty, balancing them out, fusing them at some indefinite point, acting as their horizon line.””
— Georges Rodenbach
