User:StephenDaCosta/sandbox

Proposed edits for La Morte amoureuse:

Rephrase synopsis from "It tells the story of a priest named Romuald who falls in love with Clarimonde, a beautiful woman who turns out to be a vampire." - to " "A Priest named Romuald entertains a star-crossed romance with a beautiful vampire (Potentially make this word a link to reflect the link in the previous iteration of the word "vampire") named Clarimonde."

Plot Summary:

Romuald, as an older man, recounts the temptation of his youth on the day of his Ordination. A beautiful woman catches his eye in the midst of his vows to the church and to chastity (This sounds a little clunky. Try changing it to this maybe: "A beautiful woman catches his eye in the midst of his vows to the church and his promise to remain chaste.") Conflicted (The word "Torn" might be better here.) between 'love at (change this to "at first sight") first sight' and his beliefs, the ceremony ends before he makes a decision. He is imprisoned by his piety and tortured by his desire.

Romuald is stationed in a quiet location in the country and feels trapped by his priesthood. Before long, a frantic man on horseback beckons Romuald to accompany him in loom of a dying woman. He is brought to a mysterious castle and finds a dead Clarimonde. In his grief, he kisses her, temporarily breathing life into her. She says they will shortly be reunited.

Romuald returns to his home after falling ill and unconscious. Romuald doubts himself, the events at the castle, and CLarimonde's presence in his dreams. (What events? Her death? His meetings with her? Be a tad more specific). Clarimonde appears in his room during the night looking pale but beautiful, and she (changed up some grammar/syntax here to make it read better. I moved the comma to improve sentence flow) tells Romuald to prepare to leave.

She returns the following night and they travel to Venice and he becomes her lover. During the day, he still entertains the duties of a priest, ultimately living a two-faced life. Clarimonde's health wavers, but she is restored after she drinks some of Romuald's blood and revealed to be a vampire. Clarimonde began to routinely drug Romuald and suck a few drops of blood during the night.

Brother Serapion pays a concerned visit to Romuald over his affairs with Clarimonde. Serapion is adamant, that his desires for Clarimonde are born from sin and takes Romuald to her tomb, revealing her body. Serapion cleanses the body by pouring holy water, and she crumbles into dust. Clarimonde returns at night to Romuald and breaks up with him for his betrayal, vanishing into the night.

Romuald subsequently advises men to keep their eyes fixed on the floor in order to avoid being tempted by women.

Characters:

Romuald - a man torn between his priestly duties and his latent desires for a courtesan (link this, perhaps?) named Clarimonde.

Clarimonde - a beautiful, otherworldly courtesan who is revealed to be a vampire, as well as the object of Romuald's affection.

Serapion - a fellow priest who counsels Romuald away from his desires for Clarimonde.

New Section: Gautier's Revenants and Dreams

Reanimation (link this to the relevant wiki page) for Gautier, is not in opposition to the late eighteenth and nineteenth century scientific revolutions where there was a real Promethian (link this as well, if there is a theory page that fits the bill) fear that man would reach beyond his merits. Instead, it serves as an ideal, and functions through 'animal magnetism'. When Romuald kisses the dead Clarimonde, her resurrection is not the result of some scientific breakthrough, but is made possible through ardent desire and the magnetic qualities of the soul.

Following Clarimonde's death, Romuald finds her in his dreams. The fantastic descriptions of her appearances during the night correlate with her nature as a vampire, but it also begs the question of reality and unreality. For Romuald, the fact that he witnesses Clarimonde in his dreams, is representative of a form of fantasy. Because it is impossible to verify the dichotomy of the dream and reality in Gautier's fantasy, it represents a means of making the impossible, a possibility within the story. Thus the dreams parallel the two-faced nature of Romuald's life, and ironically comment on the fantasy genre itself. ( 27, 37-39)

For Posting #1 (First Part)

The story opens with the elderly priest Romuald recounting the story of his first love, Clarimonde. The day of his Ordination many years ago, he sees a beautiful young woman in the church. He hears a woman's voice promising to love him and to make him happier than he would be in Paradise. His conflicted feelings between his religious beliefs and “love at first sight” prevent him from acting: he finishes the ceremony despite her entreaties. On his way back to the seminary, a page greets him and gives him a card reading: "Clarimonde, at the Palace Concini".

Romuald is stationed in a quiet location in the country and feels trapped by his priesthood. He continues his studies, but is distracted and plagued by the memory of Clarimonde. Father Sérapion senses something is off with Romuald, and tells him about the legend of the infamous Clarimonde the courtesan, who has recently died. Romauld asks Sérapion about the palace, and Sérapion answers that it is the Palace Concini, where Clarimonde the courtesan lives. He informs Romuald that it is a place of great debauchery. Sérapion warns Romauld that it is not the first time Clarimonde has died.