“Othys”, Sylvie in light of the seasons

The chapter “Othys” deserves to be considered as the pinnacle of Nerval’s Sylvie. It is here that, along with her young companion, the heroine’s fate is reoriented, although the children’s wedding ceremony will have no tomorrow. The “fragments” of Nerval’s work that build on this fleeting scene have many variations, which shape the resurgence of a “unifying myth.” Faced with the uncertainties of fate, the only possible escape lies in the sanctity of a childhood sweetheart.