Celebrated Translations -- The Decline and Fall (Color Illustrations Edition)

Author: [French] Balzac
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-04-01
Features: This book is one of the representative works of French writer Balzac, set against the backdrop of Paris during the Restoration period, portraying two young provincial figures. One is an ambitious, vain young poet named Lucien, who dreams of entering the upper class of Paris through his intelligence and talent, only to end up ruined and returning to his hometown in disgrace. The other is a simple-minded, dedicated inventor and industrialist named David. The Misfortunes is one of Balzac's representative works, included in The Human Comedy: Provinces. The novel is set against the backdrop of Paris during the Restoration period, portraying two young provincial figures. One is an ambitious, vain young poet named Lucien, who dreams of entering the upper class of Paris through his intelligence and talent, only to end up ruined and returning to his hometown in disgrace. The other is a simple-minded, dedicated inventor and industrialist named David, who is forced to abandon his patent due to the cunning and treacherous nature of merchants and retreat to the countryside. This novel presents a broad picture of the journey from the provinces to Paris after the French Revolution, depicting the various characteristic phenomena of the Restoration period, reflecting how the talents of young people are crushed, their dreams are destroyed, and how the temple of literature is turned into a place of shameless transactions, becoming a dirty and desolate hell. Balzac himself called The Misfortunes "the foremost work in my writings," "fully depicting our era."