Copellia

[John Bailey]

Yeah, Coppelia is based on ETA Hoffmann's short story The Sandman,
which was the major text Freud used to explore his theory of The
Uncanny (and good stuff on voyeurism and castration). Very influential
story and essay. Dunno if P read either but I've never been able to
read V. without seeing them everywhere in the novel. V is the human
who transforms themselves into an object, and makes real the horror
implicit in the ballet (it's more obvious in the story, which doesn't
have a happy ending.)

On Wed, Jan 1, 2014 at 9:12 AM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com> wrote:
> Watching the movie Tetro, a scene from the ballet Copellia, the broken doll,
> is portrayed. I'd never heard anyone mention the ballet in V. In light of
> Copellia, which seems so obvious to be its reference.
>
>  http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copp%C3%A9lia
>
> Coppélia concerns an inventor, Dr Coppelius, who has made a life-size
> dancing doll. It is so lifelike that Franz, a village swain, becomes
> infatuated with it and sets aside his true heart's desire, Swanhilde. She
> shows him his folly by dressing as the doll, pretending to make it come to
> life and ultimately saving him from an untimely end at the hands of the
> inventor.
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