Friendship and Devotion, or Three Months in Louisiana

Camille Lebrun, a French author who wrote under the pen name Pauline Guyot and was born in 1805 and died in 1886, published numerous books, translations, collections of stories, and essays in French periodicals. Amitié et dévouement, ou Trois mois à la Louisiane, is a moralizing, educational travelogue from 1845 that has been recovered by E. Joe Johnson and Robin Anita White and translated into English. The story follows the lives of two teenage, orphaned Americans, Hortense Melvil and Valentine Arnold, as they return to Louisiana to begin their adult lives.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 150 pages
Publication date: 23 August 2021
Publisher: University Press of Mississippi

Parishian Pauline Guyot ({PHONE}), known by her pen name Camille Lebrun, was a prolific writer who published numerous novels, translations, collections of tales, and articles in French magazines during her time. However, she has largely been overlooked by contemporary literary critics and readers. Among her notable works is a previously untranslated French novel from 1845, titled Amitié et dévouement, or Trois mois à la Louisiane, or Friendship and Devotion, or Three Months in Louisiana. This novel is a moralizing and educational travelogue intended for a young adult readership of the mid-nineteenth century. Lebrun's novel offers a unique perspective from a mid-nineteenth-century French woman writer on the issues of slavery, abolition, race relations, and white supremacy in the former Louisiana colony of France.

E. Joe Johnson and Robin Anita White have brought this work back to life, presenting a translation, an accessible introduction, extensive endnote annotations, and period illustrations. The novel begins with a brief preface aimed at educating young readers about the geography, culture, and history of the southern regions of the Louisiana Purchase. The story then unfolds as two teenage American orphans, Hortense Melvil and Valentine Arnold, return to Louisiana to start their adult lives. Almost immediately upon their arrival in New Orleans, their close friendship faces existential challenges: severe illness in the form of yellow fever, the possibility of marriage separating the two, and pervasive discrimination in the form of racial prejudice and segregation.

Through their journey, Hortense and Valentine confront the harsh realities of their new environment and struggle to maintain their friendship and devotion amidst the social and political turmoil of the time. Lebrun's novel sheds light on the experiences of women, particularly young women, in a society that was still largely patriarchal and male-dominated. It also provides a poignant portrayal of the complexities of race relations and the challenges faced by individuals who defy societal expectations.

Despite its historical significance, Lebrun's novel has been largely forgotten by contemporary literary circles. It is a shame that such a talented and pioneering writer has been overlooked, as her work offers valuable insights into the social and cultural landscape of mid-nineteenth-century France. Hopefully, this new edition will bring her novel to a wider audience and help to restore her rightful place in the annals of literary history.

Weight: 270g
Dimension: 139 x 215 x 17 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781496836397