Trilby; or, The Fairy of Argyll
Trilby; or, The Fairy of Argyll is an 1822 literary fairy tale novella by French author Charles Nodier (1780–1844). In it, a Scottish household spirit falls in love with the married woman of the house, who at first has him banished, then misses him, and eventually returns his love, both of them dying at the end. It was a popular work of the Romantic movement, published in multiple editions and translations. It also gave birth to adaptations as multiple ballets, including La Sylphide, and Trilby, and the opera The Mountain Sylph, some of which only retained the basic idea of love between a fairy and a Scottish peasant, but otherwise greatly diverged from the original plot.
Trilby Initial i, from Contes de Charles Nodier, 1859, engraved by Tony Johannot
A half-dreaming Jeanie and Trilby
Dougal and Jeanie and the casket
Cover of the Dole translation
Jean Charles Emmanuel Nodier was a French author and librarian who introduced a younger generation of Romanticists to the conte fantastique, gothic literature, and vampire tales. His dream related writings influenced the later works of Gérard de Nerval.
Portrait formerly thought to be of Charles Nodier (date and artist unknown)
Portrait of Charles Nodier (1844)
Bust of Charles Nodier by David d'Angers (1845).
Nodier's grave at Père Lachaise cemetery, (49th division)