Father Goriot


Book Description

Delve into the intricate tapestry of Parisian society with Honoré de Balzac’s masterwork, "Father Goriot." This compelling novel unfolds in a boarding house where the lives of its inhabitants intertwine, revealing the stark realities of ambition, love, and sacrifice. As you navigate the streets of 19th-century Paris through Balzac’s vivid prose, you may wonder: What lengths will a father go to for the sake of his daughters? Goriot’s unwavering devotion challenges the reader to reflect on the true nature of familial love amidst the backdrop of social ambition and moral decay. But here’s a provocative question: Is love a currency in a world driven by wealth and status? Balzac's keen observations of human behavior expose the heartache and hypocrisy present in society, inviting readers to ponder the costs of social climbing. With rich character development and a detailed portrayal of Parisian life, "Father Goriot" remains a timeless exploration of the complexities of human relationships, making it essential reading for anyone fascinated by literature and the human condition. Are you prepared to witness the profound depths of sacrifice and ambition through the eyes of Father Goriot? This work is more than just a novel; it’s a journey into the heart of humanity and the societal forces that shape our lives. Don’t miss your chance to experience this literary classic. Will you join Balzac in unraveling the intricate dynamics of love and society? Get your copy of "Father Goriot" now, and immerse yourself in a powerful narrative that resonates through the ages!




The New Southern Gentleman


Book Description

"Daniel Randolph Deal is a Southern aristocrat, having the required bloodline, but little of the nobility. A man resistant to the folly of ethics, he prefers a selective, self-indulgent morality. He is a confessed hedonist, albeit responsibly so."--Back cover




Old Man Goriot


Book Description

Monsieur Goriot is one of a disparate group of lodgers at Mademe Vauquer's dingy Parisian boarding house. At first his wealth inspires respect, but as his circumstances are mysteriously reduced he becomes shunned by those around him, and soon his only remaining visitors are his two beautifully dressed daughters. Goriot's fate is intertwined with two other fellow boarders: the young social climber Eugene Rastignac, who sees a way to gain the acceptance and wealth he craves, and the enigmatic figure of Vautrin, who is hiding darker secrets than anyone. Weaving a compelling and panoramic story of love, money, self-sacrifice, corruption, greed and ambition, Old Man Goriot is Balzac's acknowledged masterpiece. A key novel in his Comédie Humaine series, it is a vividly realized portrait of bourgeois Parisian society in the years following the French Revolution.




Father Goriot


Book Description

The novel takes place during the Bourbon Restoration, which brought profound changes to French society; the struggle by individuals to secure a higher social status is a major theme in the book. The city of Paris also impresses itself on the characters - especially young Rastignac, who grew up in the provinces of southern France. Balzac analyzes, through Goriot and others, the nature of family and marriage, providing a pessimistic view of these institutions.




La Comédie Humaine


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Vautrin


Book Description

Reproduction of the original: Vautrin by Honore de Balzac




The Bureaucrats


Book Description

The Bureaucrats (Les Employes) stands out in Balzac's immense Human Comedy by concentrating precisely and penetratingly on a distinctive "modern" institution: France's state bureaucracy. Rabourdin, aided by his unscrupulous wife, attempts to reorganize and streamline the entire system. Rabourdin's plan will halve the government's size while doubling its revenue. When the plan is leaked, Rabourdin's rival—an utter incompetent—gains the overwhelming support of the frightened and desperate body of low-ranking functionaries. The novel contains the recognizable themes of Balzac's work: obsessive ambition, conspiracy and human pettiness, and a melodramatic struggle between the social good and the evils of folly and stupidity. It is also an unusual, dramatized analysis of a developing political institution and its role in shaping social class and mentality.




The Cambridge Companion to Balzac


Book Description

One of the founders of literary realism and the serial novel, Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850) was a prolific writer who produced more than a hundred novels, plays and short stories during his career. With its dramatic plots and memorable characters, Balzac's fiction has enthralled generations of readers. 'La Comédie humaine', the vast collection of works in which he strove to document every aspect of nineteenth-century French society, has influenced writers from Flaubert, Zola and Proust to Dostoevsky and Oscar Wilde. This Companion provides a critical reappraisal of Balzac, combining studies of his major novels with guidance on the key narrative and thematic features of his writing. Twelve chapters by world-leading specialists encompass a wide spectrum of topics such as the representation of history, philosophy and religion, the plight of the struggling artist, gender and sexuality, and Balzac's depiction of the creative process itself.




The Best of Balzac


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