Short stories
The Venus of Ille
La Vénus d'Ille
Prosper Mérimée · 1837
Opening lines
Je descendais le dernier coteau du Canigou, et, bien que le soleil fût déjà couché, je distinguais dans la plaine les maisons de la petite ville d’Ille, vers laquelle je me dirigeais.
I was descending the last slope of the Canigou, and, although the sun had already set, I could make out on the plain the houses of the little town of Ille, towards which I was heading.
Translation by Erostrate
Text quoted from gutenberg.org
Synopsis
A Parisian archaeologist comes to Ille, in Roussillon, to study the ancient ruins of the region. He is received by M. de Peyrehorade, a passionate provincial antiquary, who has just discovered a bronze statue of Venus. The son of the house, Alphonse, is to marry Mlle de Puygarrig. On the wedding day, he plays a game of real tennis and, to play more freely, slips onto the statue's finger the ring he intended for his fiancée.
Context
The story appeared in 1837 in the Revue des Deux Mondes. Its author, then in charge of the protection of the built heritage, was making his inspection tours through the provinces; the tale retains that taste for excavations and ancient inscriptions, shared by the visitor from Paris, whose name is never given, and his host. The supernatural receives no explanation there and leaves the reader uneasy.
Who it is for
A short story that can be read in one sitting and requires no knowledge of archaeology.
Prizes and reception
It is perhaps today the most widely read of its author's tales, and a model of the fantastic short story in France.
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