ALCOVE

THE TRIP OF LE HORLA

-GUY DE MAUPASSANT

LEARNING OUTCOMES:-

1. The learners will be able to read and understand the lesson.

2. They will be able to appreciate travel accounts.

3. They will be able to enhance their vocabulary.

4. They will be able to appreciate the need to travel.

SUMMARY OF THE STORY

The Trip of Le Horla is a travelogue written by Guy de Maupassant. It talks about the experiences of the author’s ride in a hot air balloon from Paris to Belgium. The chapter begins with a telegram sent by Jovis to Maupassant inviting him for the travel. He reaches the place and gives an account of the preparations for the journey and a description of the hot air balloon called Le Horla. He says that the balloon looks like a giant yellow cake. Lieutentant Mallet climbs on the aerial net between the basket and the balloon to watch the movements of Le Horla across the skies. M. Etierine Beer, M. Paul Bessand, M. Patrice Eyries, and the narrator climb in next. But the basket becomes too heavy for the balloon, so M. Eyries gets out. Then the ropes were cut loose and they were soaring in the sky, they used sand as ballast to control the movement of the hot air balloon. Maupassant compares the balloon's gas as its invisible blood which enables them to travel in the delicious inertia of the skies. Captain Jovis was their leader and exhibited commendable qualities as a leader. They travelled above cities and farms enjoying the spectacular views of the earth. The beautiful scenes of setting sun and rising moon left them speechless. Finally they landed safely on a farm, where the peasants helped them to get to the nearest railway station to board the train to Paris. In a single night they were able to see and enjoy a different view of the world.

Jovis sends a telegram to Maupassant. Have you ever heard of a telegram?

A telegram is an old means of communication. It looks like a letter and is send from a device called a telegraph.

Here is a picture of a telegram-