The Fate of Carmen

The ongoing proliferation of new versions of Carmen presents an ideal opportunity to study both the cultural power and renewability of certain literary texts and the relationship between literature and the performing arts. Since its introduction in Prosper Merimee's 1845 novella the Carmen character has been the subject of countless portrayals--from Bizet's 1874 opera to various dramatic dance and musical renditions to films by such directors as Peter Brook Jean-Luc Godard Francesco Rosi and Carlos Saura. In The Fate of Carmen Evlyn Gould studies competing representations of Carmen as either dangerous femme fatale liberated woman or vanguard warrior in the battle between the sexes.