Georges Rodenbach, Bruges-la-Morte [The Dead City of Bruges]

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Bruges-la-Morte

, the work for which the Belgian writer Georges Rodenbach is best known, is a short novel that was originally serialised in

Le Figaro

from 4 to 14 February 1892. It was published as a single text in May of the same year with Flammarion, and included two additional chapters (Chapters VI and XI).

Bruges-la-Morte

tells the story of a widower, Hugues Viane, who moves to Bruges to mourn his late wife. Installed there, he lives a calm and routine daily existence, surrounded by her clothes and personal effects. One evening he spots a dancer, Jane, in the street and believes her to be the double of his wife. Hugues pursues Jane, eventually developing a relationship with her, until the discrepancies between Jane and his wife begin to show and the relationship breaks down,…

1937 words

Citation: Ryan, Natasha. "Bruges-la-Morte". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 April 2017 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=35866, accessed 28 March 2024.]

35866 Bruges-la-Morte 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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