According to Bachelard, it is possible to describe a form of petrified reverie called Medusa complex. This reverie is linked to rocks and stones and, in general, it finds its sources of dynamization on Earth as one of the primordial elements that enhance the mobility of imagination. Bachelard seems to be captured by the idea of death inherent to the paralyzed universe of frozen and lethal images that arises particularly from Huysmans' novel En Rade. At the same time he notices the presence of other images haunted by the "marble phantom" of statues that come to life. But, unfortunately, Bachelard does not examine in depth these images. Using Bachelard's references - some short stories of Mérimée - we will examine these kinds of image under the point of view of a new complex: the Pygmalion complex. We will try to demonstrate that this complex is complementary to the Medusa complex on describing the subtle relationship between life and death.