Paul and Virginia: An Indian Tale; Translated from the French

Paul and Virginia: An Indian Tale; Translated from the French

Originally published as Paul et Virginie, this romantic French children's novel tells the story of two young people growing up in the archipelago of the Indian Ocean in Île de France, known today as Mauritius. The island appears in the text as as a paradise, which is shattered when Virginia is sent to France upon reaching adolescence. The illustrations in some editions of the text arguably draw from the Americas.

Jacques-Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre

Pictured text is held by the University of California and available in its entirety through Hathi Trust Digital Library

Various publishers; pictured text is published by I.C. Pray in Hartford, Connecticut in 1834

Originally published 1788; Circulated in the Caribbean 1837-1847

Courtney Weikle-Mills

Public domain

English, translated from French

Novel