Reading Questions for Gautier, "The Dead in Love" (1836)

1. What is unusual about the priest's cycle of wakefulness and sleep?

2. What happens during his ordination? How does he eventually come to see Clarimonde again?

3. Describe Clarimonde's powers. What does she want? Who or what is she?

4. What is the role of Sérapion in the story?

5. How does Clarimonde transform the priest's sense of self? Which world does he eventually choose to live in and why?