Henry James’ travelogue “En Province,” alternatively titled “A Little Tour in France,” describes his six-week tour of several French provincial cities including Tours, Bourges, Nantes, Toulouse, Arles, and numerous others. The book which was first published as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly between 1883 and 1884, is both an ode to the regions and a portrayal of French provincial life.
After attempting to live in Paris and then relocating to London in 1876, James went back to France in 1882 to learn more about rural French life than he could have previously.