Abstract
Through writing Les Confidences de Nicolas, Gérard de Nerval studied Rétif de la Bretonne who was a novelist in the 18th century. The relation between this work and Sylvie of Nerval has often been discussed. In the present paper, the author makes a comparative study of Les Confidences de Nicolas and Aurélia discussing similar themes in these two works, and deriving important themes from their similarities. In particular, the author chooses for detailed discussion the "immortality of the soul", "another life" and "expiation" from these themes. This choice of topics is due to their importance in the realm of Nerval and also due to the frequency of similar themes in Les Confidences de Nicolas and Aurélia. These themes are not only closely related to the love of the narrator of Aurélia for Aurélia, but also they originate from the life and death instincts of Nerval. Thus, Nerval discovered these important themes through writing Les Confidences de Nicolas, and further developed them in Aurélia. This work is a literary criticism in which Rétif de la Bretonne rhythm in thinking is well exhibited.
