<DIV><DIV><I>Carmen</I></B>—the inspiration for one of the world's most popular operas—is a story about the dark forces that lurk beneath the façade of civilization, where passions are brutal and erotic love is seductive and sinister. When Don José meets a gypsy woman, he has no idea that his chance encounter with the “pretty witch” will have disastrous consequences. With her magic and her malevolent spirit, Carmen exerts a powerful charm on the unsuspecting Don José, who is drawn into a seedy underworld of bandits and smugglers—exploited and humiliated, until he is driven to the ultimate revenge. In <I>Carmen,</I> Prosper Mérimée introduced a literary archetype: the femme fatale, who uses her sexuality and mystery to ensnare and ultimately destroy the weak, unsuspecting man. It appears here with <I>The Venus of Ille,</I> a brilliant tale of the supernatural. Prosper Mérimée is a noted French novelist, playwright, and short story writer.</DIV></DIV>