AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT. - Lot 218

Lot 218
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AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT. - Lot 218
AUTOGRAPH MANUSCRIPT. A beautiful and significant letter of a personal nature on suffering, nervous illness, and friendship. [19th century]. Unsigned autograph letter, 4 pages in-8 (2 double leaves), in elegant cursive handwriting in brown ink. A long letter of remarkable literary quality, addressed to a close friend, in which the author apologizes for a prolonged silence caused by a serious decline in his health. Throughout this confession, he offers a profound reflection on physical and mental suffering, nervous disorders, friendship, and the resources of the will. From the very first lines, he describes the state of weakness in which he finds himself: “I am still suffering greatly; would you believe that my inactivity is shattered by pain... ” The author then describes the consequences of this illness on his daily life, lamenting that even the seasons seem to have lost their rhythm: “Everything puts me behind schedule; here there is neither winter nor spring... ” Deeply moved by a letter he recently received, he warmly thanks his correspondent: “Your dear letter was very precious to me; it was wonderful and affectionate; I found it embellished, rejuvenated, and enriched by you.” The second part of the letter takes a more meditative turn. Reflecting on the trials he has endured, he ponders the fragility of certain temperaments and the lasting effects of emotional suffering: “I am one of those temperaments that can be broken beyond repair...” Further on, he offers a reflection of great psychological insight on “nervous constitutions,” whose very slightest emotions upset their balance: “The slightest movements become difficult; they depend on one’s constitution; a sorrow, a surge of emotion, the stirrings of memory transform the person.” The letter concludes with a heartfelt expression of friendship, as the author invites his correspondent to write to him at length and assures him of his unwavering affection. Through the quality of its style, the richness of its vocabulary, and the depth of its psychological analysis, this manuscript goes far beyond mere private correspondence. It offers a particularly evocative account of Romantic sensibility and the interest shown in the 19th century in the phenomena of mental anguish and nervous disorders. A beautiful autograph letter of genuine literary and psychological interest, which remains unsigned but was clearly written by a cultured hand, likely belonging to the world of literature or the arts.
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