“Ancient ballads” and “old legends” in Nerval’s work If the song were told to me…

Like many romantic poets, Nerval was interested in popular songs. However, his originality stems from the fact that he collected, commented on and, above all, told them. He related them in a very personal way: he chose a light tone, engaging in dialogue with his readers, emphasising the fantastic aspects for some of them. At the same time, he highlighted the poetry of these popular songs. He integrated them into his own universe, telling the old sung legends of a nation ends up telling about oneself.