Séraphîta
Encyclopedia
Séraphîta is a French novel by Honoré de Balzac
with themes of androgyny. It was published in the Revue de Paris
in 1834.
The work plunges into the fantastic and the supernatural self (a genre that Balzac always approached with success).
In a castle in Norway near the fjord
Stromfjord, Séraphitüs, a strange and melancholic being, conceals a terrible secret. Séraphitüs loves Minna, and she returns this love, believing Séraphitüs to be a man. But Séraphitüs is also loved by Wilfrid, who considers Séraphitüs to be a woman (Séraphîta).
In reality, Séraphitüs-Séraphîta is a perfect androgyne, born to parents who by the doctrines of Emanuel Swedenborg
have transcended their humanity, and Séraphitüs-Séraphîta is the perfect example of humanity.
Ruggero Leoncavallo
wrote a symphonic poem
based on the story.
In 2010 Ouriel Zohar
staged "Seraphita", his adaptation with Barbara Heman, performed in Paris at the Theatre de l'Ile Saint-Louis, Brussels
, Greece
, and Congo-Brazzaville.
Honoré de Balzac
Honoré de Balzac was a French novelist and playwright. His magnum opus was a sequence of short stories and novels collectively entitled La Comédie humaine, which presents a panorama of French life in the years after the 1815 fall of Napoleon....
with themes of androgyny. It was published in the Revue de Paris
Revue de Paris
Revue de Paris was a French literary magazine founded in 1829 by Louis Desiré Veron....
in 1834.
The work plunges into the fantastic and the supernatural self (a genre that Balzac always approached with success).
In a castle in Norway near the fjord
Fjord
Geologically, a fjord is a long, narrow inlet with steep sides or cliffs, created in a valley carved by glacial activity.-Formation:A fjord is formed when a glacier cuts a U-shaped valley by abrasion of the surrounding bedrock. Glacial melting is accompanied by rebound of Earth's crust as the ice...
Stromfjord, Séraphitüs, a strange and melancholic being, conceals a terrible secret. Séraphitüs loves Minna, and she returns this love, believing Séraphitüs to be a man. But Séraphitüs is also loved by Wilfrid, who considers Séraphitüs to be a woman (Séraphîta).
In reality, Séraphitüs-Séraphîta is a perfect androgyne, born to parents who by the doctrines of Emanuel Swedenborg
Emanuel Swedenborg
was a Swedish scientist, philosopher, and theologian. He has been termed a Christian mystic by some sources, including the Encyclopædia Britannica online version, and the Encyclopedia of Religion , which starts its article with the description that he was a "Swedish scientist and mystic." Others...
have transcended their humanity, and Séraphitüs-Séraphîta is the perfect example of humanity.
Ruggero Leoncavallo
Ruggero Leoncavallo
Ruggero Leoncavallo was an Italian opera composer. His two-act work Pagliacci remains one of the most popular works in the repertory, appearing as number 20 on the Operabase list of the most-performed operas worldwide.-Biography:...
wrote a symphonic poem
Symphonic poem
A symphonic poem or tone poem is a piece of orchestral music in a single continuous section in which the content of a poem, a story or novel, a painting, a landscape or another source is illustrated or evoked. The term was first applied by Hungarian composer Franz Liszt to his 13 works in this vein...
based on the story.
In 2010 Ouriel Zohar
Ouriel Zohar
Ouriel Zohar , is an Israeli and French theater director, playwright and translator from French to Hebrew. He created the Technion theater in 1986 and has been visiting Professor at the University of Paris VIII and HEC Paris since 1995....
staged "Seraphita", his adaptation with Barbara Heman, performed in Paris at the Theatre de l'Ile Saint-Louis, Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, and Congo-Brazzaville.