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eb00kie 's review for:
Carmen et autres nouvelles
by Nicholas Jotcham, Prosper Mérimée
This anthology contains:
Carmen
A novella about true love, though one is infatuated and the other indifferent
First, I should have written this in French, but I have a while to go yet so I hope you'll bear with me.
To this day, the female seducer is a negative symbol: Venus/Aphrodite, Lillith, sirens, succubi. Godly or demonic, lore presents their power as most sordid.
Carmen is of their ilk, but human, vibrant and alive. Therein lies her charm, for one alive is to be bound by humanity. Thus, her foolish lover expects the goddess, but restrained by the weaknesses of her form and dependent of the rules society made to protect her. Yet Carmen is not only as free as the wind, but strong and independent also, and for reasons unknown doesn't fall in love with the designated 'Prince Charming'.
He claims it is the fault of her upbringing, but what would that mean? 'nurture' needs 'nature' and upbringing is bound to create conflict if turned on the wrong temper. If one is to love, after falling in love, it is at the conflicts inside the other, not the conflicts between the two, one should look.
Mateo Falcone
A short story about the facets of honor. One might say there is really only one kind and it's already perishing from this brand new world and for me and that person there are little stories like this one which makes you ask "what else could he have done?" Honor is a code that is enforced by one's pride and fear, that cherishes integrity and allows dignity.
It is not a perfect world, ours and the dominion of law and conscience bring more security than the coin toss of whether the local who's strongest is also wisest, but the same conscience and law dictate that he live blemished by the festering mark of his weakness and shame.
L'Enlèvement de la redoute
Venus d'Ille
There is a certain romanticism in a statue that kills those who play at love, though the symbolism of a black Venus with white eyes seems to raw for my taste, demon-like, really. This expression is enforced by her facial expression, described as wicked (while extremely beautiful). If anything, this Venus inspires a feeling of the inevitable and perhaps this is where the 'horror' lies.
Otherwise, if I were to go for some black humor I'd say this short story is a jab at feminists, though it appeared long before the Suffrage.
Carmen
A novella about true love, though one is infatuated and the other indifferent
First, I should have written this in French, but I have a while to go yet so I hope you'll bear with me.
To this day, the female seducer is a negative symbol: Venus/Aphrodite, Lillith, sirens, succubi. Godly or demonic, lore presents their power as most sordid.
Carmen is of their ilk, but human, vibrant and alive. Therein lies her charm, for one alive is to be bound by humanity. Thus, her foolish lover expects the goddess, but restrained by the weaknesses of her form and dependent of the rules society made to protect her. Yet Carmen is not only as free as the wind, but strong and independent also, and for reasons unknown doesn't fall in love with the designated 'Prince Charming'.
He claims it is the fault of her upbringing, but what would that mean? 'nurture' needs 'nature' and upbringing is bound to create conflict if turned on the wrong temper. If one is to love, after falling in love, it is at the conflicts inside the other, not the conflicts between the two, one should look.
Mateo Falcone
A short story about the facets of honor. One might say there is really only one kind and it's already perishing from this brand new world and for me and that person there are little stories like this one which makes you ask "what else could he have done?" Honor is a code that is enforced by one's pride and fear, that cherishes integrity and allows dignity.
It is not a perfect world, ours and the dominion of law and conscience bring more security than the coin toss of whether the local who's strongest is also wisest, but the same conscience and law dictate that he live blemished by the festering mark of his weakness and shame.
L'Enlèvement de la redoute
Venus d'Ille
There is a certain romanticism in a statue that kills those who play at love, though the symbolism of a black Venus with white eyes seems to raw for my taste, demon-like, really. This expression is enforced by her facial expression, described as wicked (while extremely beautiful). If anything, this Venus inspires a feeling of the inevitable and perhaps this is where the 'horror' lies.
Otherwise, if I were to go for some black humor I'd say this short story is a jab at feminists, though it appeared long before the Suffrage.