Sylvie by Gérard de Nerval
"Sylvie" by Gérard de Nerval is a poignant exploration of love, memory, and the complexities of human relationships. The narrative follows a nameless narrator who is captivated by Aurélie, a distant actress embodying his romantic ideals. His longing leads him to reflect on his past as he returns to the Valois countryside, where he reconnects with Sylvie, his childhood friend. The story contrasts his nostalgic memories of Adrienne, a noblewoman whose family expected her to pursue a religious life, with his current feelings for Sylvie.
As the story unfolds during a traditional festival, the narrator navigates his feelings of alienation from both Parisian society and the simpler, rural life represented by Sylvie. Sylvie, who once embraced her traditional roots, has adapted to modernity, further complicating the narrator's sense of belonging. The narrative culminates in a bittersweet revelation, as Sylvie prepares for her marriage and the narrator learns of Adrienne's tragic fate. Ultimately, "Sylvie" paints a rich tapestry of longing, illustrating how memories and ideals can shape and sometimes hinder one's ability to connect with love in the present.
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Sylvie by Gérard de Nerval
First published: 1853 (English translation, 1922)
Type of plot: Fantasy
Time of work: Around 1838
Locale: France
Principal Characters:
The unnamed narrator Adrienne , a girl he loved as a youthAurélie , an actress in ParisSylvie , the girl he might have married
The Story
The narrator goes night after night to a theater in Paris to sit at the feet of Aurélie, an actress who approximates his distant feminine ideal. Aurélie remains distant. She is said to love a pale young man who echoes the romantic ideal then in fashion in a society where the narrator seems to be a marginal participant. When the narrator leaves Paris and returns to the Valois in the countryside, he remains equally an outsider, referred to by his old friends as "the Parisian."
Several associations, begun when a newspaper headline reminds him of a country festival from his past, have prompted the narrator to hasten to the Valois in time to see his childhood friend Sylvie at an all-night dance honoring Saint Bartholomew's Day. His destination, however, recalls another festival, at which he once abandoned Sylvie for the fascinating but unattainable Adrienne. A daughter of a noble family of the region, Adrienne had enchanted him with her singing, but her family expected her to follow a religious vocation.
Back in the country, the narrator quickly finds Sylvie. Once again he is torn between two societies, a somewhat mythic past that he associates with Adrienne and the traditions she represented, and the present, where Sylvie lives. Alone on a path at night, he alternately races toward a convent that may house Adrienne and the village where, in the morning, he is reunited with Sylvie.
Sylvie seems to appropriate some of the traditional past. She once tried on her aunt's old wedding dress and costumed the narrator as her bridegroom. This masquerade is now past. He must recognize that Sylvie has redecorated her house in a modern style and no longer keeps up her traditional craft of lacemaking. In one last scene of intimacy, Sylvie sings an old folk song to him. The song, a story of three beautiful girls, parallels the narrator's situation.
There is no indication which of the women in his life would be the most beautiful. Sylvie reveals to him that Adrienne had had bad luck, without giving further details. Sylvie also becomes inaccessible. On hearing of her impending marriage to one of their old friends, the narrator abruptly returns to Paris.
The story then moves ahead in time. The narrator does have a chance at the love of Aurélie, but the actress must have a man who is totally devoted to her. When the narrator avows his continuing fascination with Adrienne, Aurélie abandons him. At the very end Sylvie, now happily married, reveals to him that Adrienne had died in the convent many years before. He has lost both the women he might have loved because of the memory of a woman who no longer existed.