Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803 - 1873) was an English novelist, poet, playwright and politician. A lot of his works contributed to the early growth of the science fiction genre. "The Pilgrims of the Rhine" is a story of a young and terribly sick woman Gertrude, who goes to her last journey along the Rhine. This story is full of German tales and legends, which her beloved Trevylyan tells Gertrude in order to relieve her voyage.