Balzac

Author: Zheng Keliu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1996-10-01
Features: Balzac's role in the development of French short and medium-length fiction is remarkable. In the early 19th century, French short and medium-length fiction was at a turning point in its development; before this, it was still in its infancy. Although historical figures like Marguerite de Navarre, Madame de La Fayette, Voltaire, Diderot, Montesquieu, and the Marquis de Sade had already proven themselves as masters of short and medium-length stories, neither in terms of character portrayal nor in structure had the genre yet reached maturity. These writers could be said to have written stories, but not true short and medium-length fiction. Balzac's literary creation reached the peak of 19th-century literature, a peak as majestic as the Himalayas, which still stands proudly on the horizon of 20th-century world literature. La Comédie Humaine constitutes the core of Balzac's work, with his long novels being particularly outstanding. This book includes the following works by the author: The Executioner, Gobseck, The Elixir of Life, Love in the Desert, An Episode in the Reign of Terror, The Hotel de la Grande Bleue, The Unknown Masterpiece, The Atheist's Mass, Fanny Cagniat, Colonel Chabert, Revenge in a Family, The Case of the Sorceress. At the end, there is also a brief biography of Balzac and a chronology of his works.