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On looking over Roche's "Prosateurs Français," I find that one of the "plus jolis" contes of Charles Nodier (1788-1844) is entitled "Trilby"; therefore the title of du Maurier's much-bought novel is not original with him. I should be pleased if any reader of The Critic would inform me as to the plot of Nodier's story.
St. Francis of Assisi Rectory, Wm. J. McClure,
Mt. Kisco, N. Y., 29th Oct., 1894.
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The following lines occur in the "Réponse à M. Charles Nodier" of Alfred de Musset:—
| "Non pas cette belle insomnie |
| Du génie |
| Où Trilby vient, prêt à chanter, |
| T'écouter." |
This would seem to offer some clue to the origin of the name chosen by Mr. du Maurier for his heroine. Can you enlighten me as to the identity of the "Trilby" referred to by Musset?
Ridgefield, Conn., 19 Nov., 1894. Roswell Bacon.
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