Clarimonde

Théophile Gautier's CLARIMONDE follows the story of a young priest who falls in love with a young courtesan as he's ordained into the priesthood. At night, he's tormented by dreams in which he and the courtesan carry on a torrid affair in Venice; dreams so real he cannot be sure they aren't.

Pierre Jules Théophile Gautier (1811-1872) was a French poet, writer, playwright, journalist, and critic. He was heavily involved in both Romanticism and Parnassianism literary movements.