SOURCE: "The Function of the Theater in the Work of Nerval," Modern Language Notes, Vol. 80, 1965, pp. 610-17.

In the following essay, Sullivan examines Nerval's use of the theater as a religious and metaphysical image in his writing.

Nerval is obsessed by the theatre. As if reflected in the pieces of a shattered mirror, the theater's every aspect—the stage, the actress, the play, the idea of the play—casts its particular image. The poet's attraction to the theater and his pervasive use of theatrical imagery have been related to biographical sources as various as these aspects of the theater themselves. The unsuccessful dramatist, the drama critic, and the "seigneur poète" of Sylvie stand well accounted for, and Nerval's impossible love for Jenny Colon must be a cornerstone for any interpretation of his work. But discussions of the theater in Nerval have stopped at this point; the mirror...