Carmen by Prosper Mérimée (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide

By Bright Summaries

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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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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• Language: English
• Publisher: BrightSummaries.com
• Release date: Jun 20, 2018
• ISBN: 9782808009980

Book preview

French writer and archaeologist

Born in Paris in 1803.

Died in Cannes in 1870.

Notable works:

Mateo Falcone (1829), short story

La Vénus d’Ille (1837), short story

Colomba (1840), novella

Prosper 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.

A tragic masterpiece

Genre: novella

Reference edition: Mérimée, P. (2008) Carmen and Other Stories. Trans. Jotcham, N. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

1st edition: 1845

Themes: passion, decline, death, theft, murder

The 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