Carmen

Carmenthe inspiration for one of the world's most popular operasis a story about the dark forces that lurk beneath the facade of civilization, where passions are brutal and erotic love is seductive and sinister. When Don Jose meets a gypsy woman, he has no idea that his chance encounter with the "pretty witch" will have disastrous consequences. With her magic and her malevolent spirit, Carmen exerts a powerful charm on the unsuspecting Don Jose, who is drawn into a seedy underworld of bandits and smugglersexploited and humiliated, until he is driven to the ultimate revenge. InCarmen,Prosper Merimee introduced a literary archetype: the femme fatale, who uses her sexuality and mystery to ensnare and ultimately destroy the weak, unsuspecting man. It appears here withThe Venus of Ille,a brilliant tale of the supernatural. Prosper Merimee is a noted French novelist, playwright, and short story writer.