Abstract EN:

This dissertation stems from my research on the image of the lebanese mountain in the french travel narratives of the nineteenth century. Devoted to the period spanning from 1860 to 1902, it continues the work already completed for a "doctorat de 3e cycle" and dealing with the period from 1830 to 1862. Five travel narratives representative of the second half of the century, constitute the primary texts for this study: amedee de damas' "recollections of mount lebanon", the viscountess aviau de piolant's "in the land of the maronites", f. Bart's "mount lebanon", "syria today" by louis lortet, and finally joseph godard's "the holy virgin in lebanon". The first part of the thesis consists of a description and an analysis of the major figures and testimony of these travellers. The second part presents a thematic and comparatist investigation of the five narratives on the level of geographic space, cultural space, myth and history. The study culminates in an interrogation on the development of mount lebanon in contemporary western imagery.