Les Filles du feu
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''Les Filles du feu'' (''The Daughters of Fire'') is a collection of short prose works, poetry and a play published by the French
poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...
Gérard de Nerval Gérard de Nerval (; 22 May 1808 – 26 January 1855) was the pen name of the French writer, poet, and translator Gérard Labrunie, a major figure of French romanticism, best known for his novellas and poems, especially the collection '' Les ...
in January 1854, a year before his death. During 1853, Nerval had suffered three
nervous breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...
s and spent five months in an
asylum Asylum may refer to: Types of asylum * Asylum (antiquity), places of refuge in ancient Greece and Rome * Benevolent Asylum, a 19th-century Australian institution for housing the destitute * Cities of Refuge, places of refuge in ancient Judea ...
. He saw ''Les Filles du feu'' as an opportunity to show the public, his friends and his father that he was sane, though except for the introduction all of the pieces in ''Les Filles du feu'' had been published previously: "Angélique" in ''Les Faux Saulniers'' (1850), "Sylvie" in ''La Revue des Deux Mondes'' (1853), and "Émilie", "Jemmy", "Isis" and "Octavie" in diverse reviews. The precise meaning of the title, which Nerval chose just before publication, is uncertain. Scholars have identified its source as the ceremonies of Irish vestal virgins described in
Michelet People with the last name Michelet include the following. When used alone in an encyclopedic context, ''Michelet'' will generally refer to Jules.As evidenced in Wikipedia and Encyclopædia Britannica articles * Albert Michelet (1869–1928), French ...
's ''Histoire de France'' (1833) or a poem in a novel by
Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer ...
, ''La Tulipe noire'' (1850).


Introduction

''Les Filles du feu'' is dedicated to
Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer ...
, Nerval's friend and collaborator on works for the theater. The previous December, Dumas had published an essay attributing Nerval's mental crises to an excess of creative imagination, an exaggerated emotional identification with the historic figures he wrote about. In his introduction to the volume, Nerval elaborates on Dumas' analysis, describing how their old friend
Charles Nodier Jean Charles Emmanuel Nodier (29 April 1780 – 27 January 1844) was a French author and librarian who introduced a younger generation of Romanticists to the ''conte fantastique'', gothic literature, and vampire tales. His dream related writings ...
once claimed he had been guillotined during the French Revolution. He discusses how writers and actors identify with their subjects. He also hints at a future volume describing his crises.


''Angélique''

Written in the form of twelve letters addressed to a periodical, ''Angélique'' recounts the author's travels through France and Germany in search of an antique book and his discovery of the diary of an historic Fille du Feu. The longest story in the collection, it is more in the style of '' Les Illuminés''.


''Sylvie (Souvenirs du Valois)''

Much admired by
Marcel Proust Valentin Louis Georges Eugène Marcel Proust (; ; 10 July 1871 – 18 November 1922) was a French novelist, critic, and essayist who wrote the monumental novel ''In Search of Lost Time'' (''À la recherche du temps perdu''; with the previous Eng ...
for its poetic vision, ''Sylvie'' is a
semi-autobiographical An autobiographical novel is a form of novel using autofiction techniques, or the merging of autobiographical and fictive elements. The literary technique is distinguished from an autobiography or memoir by the stipulation of being fiction. Bec ...
tale of a man who is haunted by the memory of three women in his life, all of whom seem to blend together. The story opens with the narrator at the theatre, where he is enamored by an actress named Aurélie. He is suddenly reminded of a memory from childhood, and he experiences a flashback. First, he remembers a festival where he danced with a local girl named Sylvie but was entranced by Adrienne, a young noble (whose resemblance to Aurélie is what brings on the flashback). Adrienne ultimately becomes a nun. As Adrienne is unobtainable, he returns to Sylvie several years later and spends many days with her. As they pass by a
monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer which ...
, the narrator mentions Adrienne, much to Sylvie's dismay. He returns to
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. The narrator returns, and Sylvie and he spend a day socializing at an elderly relative's home. However, nothing results from this, and the narrator leaves again. Finally, Sylvie marries someone else, and the narrator pursues Aurélie, the actress, more aggressively. They become friendly, and the narrator asks her if she ever spent time in a convent, associating her with Adrienne. Ultimately, Aurélie ends her relationship with the narrator, and the narrator returns one final time to Sylvie, now a mother. When he asks about Adrienne, Sylvie reveals that she has been dead many years.


''Chansons et Legendes du Valois''

A short essay that is appended to ''Sylvie'' wherever it is published, it does not constitute a separate section of ''Les Filles du Feu'' in itself. The essay describes some folk songs of the province of Valois where Nerval had grown up and where ''Sylvie'' is set, and it includes a short folk tale, ''La Reine des Poissons (The Queen of the Fishes)''.


''Jemmy''

A translation, reconstruction and adaptation of a story by Charles Sealsfield, pseudonym of Austrian author Karl Postl (1793–1864), this tale of Jemmy O'Dogherty's adventures among the native Americans. Described by Nerval as "Imité de l'Allemand", an "imitation" rather than a translation of the German original.


''Octavia''

The story begins in Paris. The narrator, wishing to escape the haunting memory of an "ill-starred love", decides to travel to Italy, stopping first in Marseille for a few days. Every day, when he goes swimming in the bay, he sees a mysterious English woman named Octavia. Blonde, pale, and slender, she is so at home in the water, she could be a mermaid. The narrator's suspicions increase when one day she catches a fish with her bare hands and shows it to him. The town has been hit by cholera, so the narrator decides to continue his journey by land in order to circumvent the quarantine. As he is waiting in Civitavecchia for the steamboat to arrive, he spots Octavia at the local theater. She is sick, the narrator learns, and her doctors had recommended she travel to Naples to regain her strength. The next day, when he boards the ship headed for Naples, he sees her biting into a lemon rind, and tells her it can't be good for her, considering her chest disease. Surprised, she asks him who told him that she was sick, to which he responds, enigmatically, "The Tiburtine sibyl." He kisses her hand, and she tells him to meet her the next day at Portici. They disembark and go their separate ways. While she goes to a hotel with her father, the narrator wanders around the city of Naples, eventually attending a ballet where he encounters a marquis he had met in Paris. This aristocrat invites him to an evening party in a salon. Leaving the salon after a pleasant evening, the narrator gets lost in the streets of Naples. As he is wandering near the Villa Reale, he follows a peasant woman back to her home. The woman's home is so full of religious icons and trinkets, the narrator starts to wonder if she is a witch or a gypsy. She offers him some food and wine, then asks him, "Why so sad?" in Italian, before launching into a peculiar language that strikes him as "primeval," like "Hebrew" or "Syriac." While the narrator is still confused at her language, she pulls out an assortment of accessories which increase her power over him. Though still under this woman's spell, the narrator successfully tears himself away from her presence. He sets off for the Mount Posilipo. While he is at the top, his thoughts return to the "ill-starred love" he left behind in Paris. Feeling her to be painfully far away, he jumps to his death twice, but each time, miraculously, he survives. Having recovered his senses, he remembers his appointment with Octavia and goes on his way to
Portici Portici (; ) is a town and ''comune'' of the Metropolitan City of Naples in Italy. It is the site of the Portici Royal Palace. Geography Portici lies at the foot of Mount Vesuvius on the Bay of Naples, about southeast of Naples itself. There i ...
. She meets him under a vine arbor, and along with her father, they visit
Pompeii Pompeii (, ) was an ancient city located in what is now the ''comune'' of Pompei near Naples in the Campania region of Italy. Pompeii, along with Herculaneum and many villas in the surrounding area (e.g. at Boscoreale, Stabiae), was buried ...
and the temple of
Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...
. When he tells her about the ceremonies that used to take place there, they decide to reenact them. Octavie expresses the wish to play the role of Isis, and the narrator that of
Osiris Osiris (, from Egyptian ''wsjr'', cop, ⲟⲩⲥⲓⲣⲉ , ; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎𐤓, romanized: ʾsr) is the god of fertility, agriculture, the afterlife, the dead, resurrection, life, and vegetation in ancient Egyptian religion. He was ...
. As they return to Naples, the narrator doesn't speak of his love for her. She chastises him for being cool and distant, but he says he doesn't feel worthy of her, telling her that he is still haunted by the other woman in Paris. Years later, the author learns that Octavie has married a young painter, who, shortly after their marriage, became paralyzed and bedridden. Even though she dedicates herself to caring for her husband, he is suspicious of her every move. The narrator returns to Marseille, haunted by the knowledge of Octavia's suffering.


''Isis (Souvenirs de Pompei)''

This travel narrative describes the influence of Egypt's religion on the Roman Empire. Nerval describes a visit he made to Pompeii. The prevailing light in the essay is moonlight, and the Fille du Feu is the goddess
Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...
. The essay concludes with an examination of some themes common to Christianity and other ancient religions.


''Corilla''

A short play relating the adventures of two suitors who are after the favors of a theatrical actress. One of them is fobbed off with a flower seller by the official that he pays. The play ends amicably and is a light comedy. The Filles du Feu are the actress and the flower seller.


''Émilie''

This story is understood to have been largely the work of
Auguste Maquet Auguste Maquet (; 13 September 1813 – 8 January 1888) was a French author, best known as the chief collaborator of French novelist Alexandre Dumas, père, co-writing such works as ''The Count of Monte Cristo'' and ''The Three Musketeers''. ...
, a friend of Nerval and of
Alexandre Dumas Alexandre Dumas (, ; ; born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (), 24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870), also known as Alexandre Dumas père (where '' '' is French for 'father', to distinguish him from his son Alexandre Dumas fils), was a French writer ...
. Maquet left a note in manuscript claiming that he had written it following a plan devised by Nerval, though he himself disliked the ending. It had appeared in the journal ''Le Messageur'' in 1839 signed "G." under the title "Le Fort de Bitche".Gérard de Nerval, ''Œuvres'', notice de Henri Lemaitre, Classiques Garnier, 1986, p. 483. ''Émilie'' is the story of Desroches, a French lieutenant serving near Bitche in Lorraine near the German border sometime after 1815. While recuperating in Metz after being wounded, he befriends Emilie, a young woman from Haguenau in Alsace, and they soon decide to marry. The night before the civil ceremony, Desroches tells some fellow soldiers how he had "killed the first and only man I ever struck in hand-to-hand fighting" during a Prussian attempt on the fort of Bitche. At an inn the next day, Émilie's brother Wilhelm argues with Desroches' comrades about his own father's death at the hands of a French soldier in the same fort in Bitche. The next day, Wilhelm asks Desroches to give him a tour of the fort, and when they reach the spot where Wilhelm's father was killed, Wilhelm accuses Desroches and challenges him to a duel. Émilie sends a priest to intervene, but Desroches, knowing now that he killed her father, realizes that he and Émilie can never be happy together. He re-enlists and is killed on the front line. Émilie retires to a convent.


''The Chimeras''

''
The Chimeras ''The Chimeras'' (french: Les Chimères) is a sequence of sonnets by the French writer Gérard de Nerval, made up of eight individual poems and a total of twelve sonnets. The poems are: "El Desdichado", "Myrtho", "Horus", "Anteros", " Delphica", " ...
'' (french: Les Chimères), a sequence of twelve sonnets, is appended to ''Les Filles du Feu''. The poems are: "El Desdichado", "Myrtho", "Horus", "Antéros", " Delfica", "Artémis", "Le Christ aux Oliviers (I, II, II, IV, V)" and "Vers Dorés".


References


External links


Les Filles du feu
in French at Gallica {{DEFAULTSORT:Filles du feu, Les 1854 short story collections French short story collections Works by Gérard de Nerval