Georges Bizet Carmen [Paperback]

This handbook explores Bizet's famous opera in a number of contexts, from its origin in M?rim?e's short story to the film adaptations of the last thirty years.Beginning with a study of Mérimée's story of Carmen by Peter Robinson and an examination of the social tensions in nineteenth-century France, this analysis traces the opera through its genesis and reception.Beginning with a study of Mérimée's story of Carmen by Peter Robinson and an examination of the social tensions in nineteenth-century France, this analysis traces the opera through its genesis and reception.Bizet's Carmen is probably the best known opera of the standard repertoire, yet its very familiarity often prevents us from approaching it with the seriousness it deserves. This Handbook explores the opera in a number of contexts, bringing to the surface the controversies over gender, race, class and musical propriety. After a study of Mérimée's story Carmen by Peter Robinson, Susan McClary examines the social tensions in nineteenth-century France that inform both that story and the opera, and traces the opera through its genesis and reception. The Handbook concludes with discussions of four films based on the opera. The volume contains a bibliography, music examples, and a synopsis and will be of interest to students, scholars, and operagoers.List of illustrations; Acknowledgments; 1. M?rim?e's 'Carmen' Peter Robinson; 2. The genesis of Bizet's Carmen; 3. Images of race, class and gender in nineteenth-century French culture; 4. The musical languages of Carmen; 5. Synopsis and analysis; 6. The reception of Carmen; 7. Carmen on film; Notes; Bibliography; Index. The book is a welcome resource for language teachers who wish to introduce the discussion of other art forms into the French literature class. Fred L. Toner, The French Review