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Chapter 18

Rizal took a vacation in Biarritz, France to recover from disappointments in Madrid. There he fell in love with Nellie Boustead, daughter of his hosts, and finished his novel El Filibusterismo. While courting Nellie under the "lovely Biarritz moon," his marriage proposal failed because Nellie demanded he convert to Protestantism, which he refused. Frustrated, Rizal found consolation in writing and completed El Filibusterismo before leaving for Paris on March 30. He later retired from the Propaganda Movement in May 1891 and stopped writing for La Solidaridad in August 1891 to focus on his plans to return to the Philippines.

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156 views3 pages

Chapter 18

Rizal took a vacation in Biarritz, France to recover from disappointments in Madrid. There he fell in love with Nellie Boustead, daughter of his hosts, and finished his novel El Filibusterismo. While courting Nellie under the "lovely Biarritz moon," his marriage proposal failed because Nellie demanded he convert to Protestantism, which he refused. Frustrated, Rizal found consolation in writing and completed El Filibusterismo before leaving for Paris on March 30. He later retired from the Propaganda Movement in May 1891 and stopped writing for La Solidaridad in August 1891 to focus on his plans to return to the Philippines.

Uploaded by

Cess Nazarene Joy Cafirma
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Chapter 18

To seek solace for his disappointments in Madrid, Rizal took a vacation in the resort city
of Biarritz on the fabulous French Riviera. It was in Biarritz where he had a serious
romance with Nellie and finished the last chapter of his novel, El Filibusterismo. With the
Bousteads in Biarritz. February 1891- Rizal arrived in Biarritz.

The one-month vacation in Biarritz worked wonders for Rizal. Biarritz, with its romantic
gardens, delightful villas, and panoramic beauties, is an ideal setting for romance. Rizal
having lost his beloved Leonor came to entertain considerable affection for Nellie, the
prettier and younger daughter of his host. Blumentritt, of his love for Nellie, also called
Nelly, and his intention to propose marriage to her. del Pilar teased him about changing
the "o" in Noli to an "e", which means Noli to Nelly.

Antonio Luna, who had previously loved and lost Nelly, encouraged Rizal to woo and
marry her. ""With respect to Nelly, frankly, I think there is nothing between us more than
one of those friendships enlivened by being fellow countrymen. "With the
encouragement of his close friends, Rizal courted Nelly who, in turn, reciprocated his
affection. " Unfortunately, their romance beneath the lovely Biarritz moon did not have a
happy fairy tale finale.

•Rizal marriage proposal failed for two reasons

Refused to give up his Catholic faith and be converted into Protestantism, as Nelly
demanded. Mother did not like Rizal as a son-in-law. Nelly Boustead, being a good
Protestant, wanted Rizal to espouse Protestantism before their marriage. Rizal, being a
man of firm conviction, refused.

"Nelly’s mother, like the mother of Leonor Rivera, had no wish to entrust her daughter’s
happiness to a man who was poor in material things, a physician without a paying
clientele, a writer who earned nothing from his pen, and a reformer who was persecuted
by the friars and the government officials in his own country. " Although they could not
get married, Rizal and Nellie parted as good friends. El Filibusterismo Finished in
Biarritz. Frustrated in romance, Rizal found consolation in writing.

While wooing Nellie and enjoying so "many magnificent moonlight nights" with her, he
kept working on his second novel which he began to write in Calamba in 1887. "Surely, I
will leave tomorrow for Paris, and from there I don’t know where I am going. " .
March 30, 1891- Rizal bade farewell to the hospitable and friendly Bousteads and
proceeded to Paris by train. He stayed at home of his friend, Valentin Ventura, on 4 Reu
de Chateaudum. From Paris, he wrote to his friend, Jose Ma. In this letter, he requested
Basa to advance him amount for a first class steamer ticket from Europe to Hong Kong.

By the middle of April, 1891, Rizal was back in Brussels. Since abdicating his leadership
in Madrid in January, 1891, owing to the intrigues of his jealous compatriots, Rizal
retired from the Propaganda Movement, or reform crusade. From Brussels, on May
1,1891, he notified the Propaganda authorities in Manila to cancel his monthly
allowance and devote the money to some better cause, such as the education of young
Filipino student in Europe. His notification was contained in a letter addressed to Mr. Mt
chosen place is either in the Philippine, Hong Kong, or Japan, because Europe seems
to me a place of exile and I am hereby notifying the Propaganda of my intention so that
it may make my decision.

Though such an amount is sufficient to live on in any place in Europe, it is not enough
for one who wishes to accomplish something and to carry out the plans that he may
cherish. Consequently, I have asked friend Basa to furnish me with the funds for my
return, so that I can start earning a small fortune. "Rizal Stopped Writing for La
Solidaridad. " Simultaneous with his retirement from the Propaganda Movement, Rizal
ceased writing articles for La Solidaridad.

Many of his friends in Spain urged him to continue writing for the patriotic periodical,
because his articles always attracted considerable attention in European countries. H
del Pilar himself realized the need for Rizal’s collaboration in both the Propaganda
Movement and in the La Solidaridad newspaper because the enthusiasm for the reform
crusade in Spain was declining. August 7, 1891, he wrote to Rizal begging forgiveness
for any resentment and requesting him to resume writing for the La Solidaridad.

"I am extremely surprised at your letter, telling me about resentments, disagreements,


and reconciliations, etc. I believe it is useless to talk about what does not exist, and if it
has existed, it ought to have evaporated in the past. On this date he wrote Jose Ma. If I
receive any money you will surely have it in July. I am writing it with more ardour than
the Noli and although it is not so cheerful, at least it is more profound and more perfect.

Rizal arrived in Biarritz at the beginning of February, 1891, he was warmly


welcomed by the Bousteads, which later on have the same romantic feelings to their
younger daughter Nellie. But with the same fate as his past lovers, they didn’t last long.

Frustrated in romance, he found consolation in writing. On March 28, 1891, the


eve of his departure from Biarritz to Paris, he finished the manuscript of his second
novel El Filibusterismo.
He then retired from Propaganda Movement, or reform crusade on May 1, 1891.
He also stopped writing for La Solidaridad on August 7, 1891.

He worked day after day revising the finished manuscript if El Filibusterismo, and
was completed on May 30, 1891.

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