Selected Masterpieces of World Literature - The Old Man and the Sea / Short Stories by Mark Twain

Author: (French) Balzac, translated by Li Yanping, Chen Jianbing, Wang Ying / (American) Mark Twain, translated by Cheng Fang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-08-01
Features: The Grandfather – The novel is set against the backdrop of French society from 1819 to the early 1820s, with scenes unfolding in the salon of the Countess of Beauséjour and the. The main plot follows the parallel yet occasionally intersecting stories of Grandfather Vauvenargues and Lucien de Rubempré, depicting a vivid picture of the customs and social life during the Bourbon monarchy in France. Grandfather Vauvenargues devoted his entire life to loving his two daughters, spending all his wealth to satisfy their shameless vanity and despicable hedonism until the only guarantee he had left for his old age was also drained. Yet, in the end, he could not even fulfill his wish to see his daughters before his death. With money, there are daughters; without money, everything is lost. This embodies the extreme selfishness of utilitarianism and the raw monetary relationships between people in that era. Balzac (1799-1850) was a great representative of French realism. Hugo, in his eulogy Balzac’s Funeral Oration, said: “Among the greatest figures, Balzac is one of the most significant; among the finest, Balzac is one of the most distinguished.” Mark Twain’s Short Story Selection – With humor and satire as his weapons, Twain boldly exposes the corruption of American capitalist society, the hypocrisy of democracy, and ethnic discrimination and oppression. He powerfully condemns the aggressive actions of imperialism. He conveys serious ideas to the world in an easy and light-hearted manner through the art of humor.