Epigraph
"Take away the lights, too;
The moon lends me too much to find my fears;
And those devotions I am now to pay,
Are written in my heart, not in thy book;
And I shall read them there without a taper."
About This Book
The narrative follows Paul Flemming as he wanders through German landscapes and towns while mourning a personal loss, blending travel description, local legend, and literary reflection. Episodic chapters range from comic sketches and social encounters to meditations on scholarship, fame, and art; recurring set pieces include Rhine scenery, Heidelberg scenes, and alpine excursions. A secondary strand traces the musical agonies of John Kreisler, whose creative intensity and decline illuminate questions about genius, memory, and consolation amid beauty and melancholy.