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- Sprache: Englisch
Unlock the more straightforward side of Carmen with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!
This engaging summary presents an analysis of
Carmen by Prosper Mérimée, which tells the story of a notorious brigand called don José as he falls in love with the beautiful Gypsy of the title and abandons his promising career as a soldier to become a thief and murderer in a desperate attempt to win her affections. However, don José gradually comes to realise that Carmen will never love him as much as he loves her, and his jealousy soon spirals out of control, with tragic consequences.
Carmen’s evocation of a relatively unfamiliar world, meticulous attention to detail and heart-wrenching story have captivated generations of readers and elevated its freedom-loving heroine to mythical status. Prosper Mérimée was a French author, historian and archaeologist who is best known for his short stories and novellas, which are often set in exotic locales and draw inspiration from his own extensive travels across Europe.
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Carmen in a fraction of the time!
This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection
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Seitenzahl: 33
Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2018
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Prosper Mérimée
French writer and archaeologist
Born in Paris in 1803.Died in Cannes in 1870.Notable works:Mateo Falcone (1829), short storyLa Vénus d’Ille (1837), short storyColomba (1840), novellaProsper Mérimée became involved in the artistic world and knew that he wanted to be a writer at an early age. He moved in Paris’s literary circles, where he mixed with influential French writers including Victor Hugo (1802-1885), Alfred de Musset (1810-1857) and Stendhal (1783-1857). He then began publishing short stories and novellas, including Tamango (1829), Mateo Falcone, La Vénus d’Ille and Carmen.
He was also active in politics: he became a senator, grew close to Napoléon III (Emperor of the French, 1808-1873) and oversaw the restoration of France’s architectural heritage as Inspector-General of Historical Monuments. He was a keen traveller and visited numerous European countries, which provided him with inspiration for his writing. For example, Colomba, one of his most famous works, was inspired by a trip to Corsica. He suffered from asthma, and in his final years he moved to Cannes, where he died in 1870 after witnessing the fall of the Second French Empire and France’s military defeat at the hands of Prussia.
Carmen
A tragic masterpiece
Genre: novellaReference edition: Mérimée, P. (2008) Carmen and Other Stories. Trans. Jotcham, N. Oxford: Oxford University Press.1st edition: 1845Themes: passion, decline, death, theft, murderThe novella Carmen was first published in the magazine La Revue des deux mondes in 1845, before appearing in book form in 1847. It has inspired a range of film, theatre and operatic adaptations, including notably Georges Bizet’s (French composer, 1838-1875) opera of the same name, which he composed a few months before his death.
The novella tells the story of don José, a robber who is serving in a regiment of dragoons (French cavalry and infantry troops) when he falls madly in love with a Gypsy girl named Carmen. His passion for her is so intense that it even drives him to commit murder.
This tragic story explores the themes of deadly passion, decline and death. Thanks to its narrative complexity, sophistication and impersonal, detached style, its popularity and reputation endure to this day and it is now considered one of the great masterpieces of French literature.
Summary
Chapter I
The novella’s narrator, who is also one of its characters, arrives in Andalusia in the south of Spain in the early autumn of 1830 to research the Battle of Munda (45 BCE), during which Julius Caesar (Roman general and politician, 100-44 BCE) defeated Pompey the Younger (Roman general and politician, 75-12 BCE). He begins telling a story which has nothing to do with the main story he is researching.
Near a spring in Córdoba, he meets a mysterious man who is armed, looks famished and does not have an Andalusian accent. This stranger, who seems to make the narrator’s guide Antonio uncomfortable, decides to travel with them.
The narrator gradually comes to realise that the man is the notorious bandit José Navarro, but he chooses not to reveal his secret. The three men arrive at a dilapidated inn, where the elderly innkeeper immediately recognises the bandit and exclaims: “Ah! Señor don José!”.
Antonio leaves during the night, but the narrator refuses to follow him. The guide wants to report don José to the police so that they can arrest him, but the narrator thwarts his plans by warning the bandit, who immediately flees. The narrator then wonders whether or not he did the right thing by protecting him.
