44 pages • 1 hour read
Prosper MerimeeCarmen
Fiction | Novella | Adult | Published in 1840A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Background
Sociohistorical and Cultural Context: Roma and Discrimination
Roma (or the Romani People) are a heterogenic ethnic group commonly referred to in English by the pejorative non-native “Gypsies.” Prosper Mérimée’s conception of the Roma people and their culture is a central focus of Carmen. However, the information and representations portrayed in the novella are inaccurate, often blatantly racist, and more reflective of the common prejudices of the time than the reality of Roma and their culture (“Roma History Factsheets.” Council of Europe). Mérimée based much of his information on English author George Borrow’s The Zincali: An Account of the Gypsies of Spain (1841). The subgroup of Roma from Spain typically self-identify as “Calé.” They have a long history of association with the southern region of Andalusia, as well as traditional Spanish folk music and dance such as the flamenco.
Groups of Roma first migrated to Europe from India around the 10th century, and settled across the continent—particularly in Spain, Germany, and the Balkans. Current estimates place between 10 and 14 million Roma in Europe, with several million more having migrated further afield, primarily to the Americas and the Middle East. Roma share a common language, Romani (or Romanes), an Indo-European language descended from Sanskrit that has diverged into many disparate dialects influenced by different linguistic environments. Roma culture places particular emphasis on the importance of family, obligations of honor, and traditional culture.
Since their arrival in Europe, Roma have experienced discrimination from the governments of Europe as well as prejudice from the general population. Particularly notable instances of persecution include the widespread enslavement of Roma in Central Europe through the medieval and early modern periods, the attempted genocide of the “Great Gypsy Round-up” in 1749 Spain, and the “Porajmos” or Romani Holocaust during World War II, which saw an estimated half a million Roma murdered by the Nazi regime. Roma have also been subject to numerous campaigns of forced assimilation, as well as social exclusion and exploitation. Often Roma have been forced to live and work on the fringes of society due to persecution and hostility, and have been scapegoats for social ills such as high crime rates and poverty. Prejudiced portrayals of Roma are prevalent throughout non-Roma media, including Mérimée’s Carmen, particularly in his spurious analysis of Calé in Chapter 4.
Literary Context: Romanticism and the Novella
Romanticism was an artistic and literary movement that reached its peak between the late 18th and mid-19th century in Western Europe. The movement was a reaction against the prioritization of order, rationalism, and harmony within the Classicism and Neo-Classicism movements during the preceding century, as well as the Enlightenment idolization of reason and scientific advancement during the 18th-century Age of Reason. The Romantic movement valued passion and imagination, encouraged a deeper appreciation of nature, and placed a greater emphasis on spontaneity and subjective experiences expressed through art. English poet William Wordsworth, in his essay “Preface to Lyrical Ballads” (1800), described poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings” (“Winnowings from Wordsworth.” Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, 2015). Wordsworth lauded the expression and depiction of passion as an artistic ideal, and his essay is regarded as a manifesto of the Romantic movement. The movement was strongly influenced by the French Revolution of 1789, which saw the violent overthrow of the French monarchy and its institutions in the name of liberty, equality, and fraternity.
The early movement focused on the expression of excessive emotions and a fascination with the supernatural and the exotic. The second and third generation Romantics focused on nationalist traditions, native folklore, and the elevation of the individual. Famous Romantic writers include the German Johann Wolfgang Goethe (1749-1832), Wordsworth (1770-1850) and fellow English poet John Keats (1795-1821), the Russian poet Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (1799-1837), and many pre-Revolution American philosophers. In France, early Romantic figures included writers François-René, vicomte de Chateaubriand (1768-1848) and Madame de Staël (Anne Louise Germaine de Staël-Holstein) (1766-1817), as well as later figures such as the painter Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863) known particularly for his work Liberty Leading the People (1830), and Victor Hugo (1802-1885), the author of Les Misérables (1862) and Notre-Dame de Paris (1831).
Mérimée (1803-1870) belonged to the Romantic movement and was heavily influenced by its styles and values. His focus on the psychological experience of passionate individuals, as well as the folk traditions and culture of exoticized locations, are typically Romantic. He is also noted for being a pioneer and master of the short story “nouvelle” or novella, and celebrated for his concise prose and expressive descriptions. In addition to his prose writing, Mérimée was a dramatist, historian, and archeologist. His writing was informed by his extensive travels through Europe as well as his broad study of literature and languages. His work, in contrast to other Romantic authors, embodies cynicism and a sober tone. He blends Romanticist passion with the restraint of Classicism.
Cultural Context: Adaptation for Opera
Mérimée’s novella Carmen inspired the 1875 opera of the same name by Georges Bizet (1838-1875). This opera cuts the novella’s framing narrative and Mérimée’s analyses of racial characteristics, focusing on the events of Chapter 3. Certain events from the novella are adapted for stage or for greater dramatic effect, and minor characters such as El Dancaire are fleshed out into more substantial roles. Several additional characters who do not exist in the novella are also added to the operatic cast, including Micaëla, Don José’s childhood sweetheart from Navarre.
The opera has musical numbers interspersed with dialogue, and was highly controversial upon its debut for its breaking of conventions and scandalous subject matter. The opera was not initially successful in Paris, and its creator died only months after its release, believing it a failure. Through international performances and a Paris revival in 1883, Carmen has since become one of the most popular and celebrated operas of all time. Its “Habanera” and “Toreador” arias are among the best-known operatic arias in existence. The story and its characters have since been the inspiration for art, music, and numerous film adaptations.
