Fuyi Classics Series - The Old Man High-Town

Author: Written by Balzac
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-10-01
Features: This book collects the two long novels, The Old Man's Revenge and Albert Savarus, translated by Fu. In the general index of The Human Comedy, they belong to the "Social Studies" section under the "Private Life" column. Source: Jingcai.com http://www.exvv.com
The Old Man's Revenge is one of Balzac's most outstanding works. Critics call the old man in the novel a modern King Lear. However, in terms of social perspective, it carries deeper and broader significance than Shakespeare's famous play. Balzac's characters are not just individuals but symbols of their era; the tragic elements are not limited to personal temperament but are more rooted in the decadent social environment. Madame de Bassompierre represents the declining aristocracy, ending her days in seclusion; Rastignac and Vautrin embody the two styles of the rising class: one infiltrates society like an epidemic, while the other crashes into it like a cannonball. The struggle for fame and fortune by the ambitious, intertwined with the desperate paternal love of the old man, makes the novel even more fantastical and gripping. Source: Jingcai.com http://www.exvv.com
Albert Savarus is woven from two extraordinary love stories. The first is the tale of Albert, a bastard of a Belgian nobleman, and the former princess of the Italian Soudani, Duchess Archiolo. They meet by chance and fall in love at first sight; but the princess resolves to remain faithful to her husband, who is fifty years her senior, and can only promise to fulfill their love after his death. When this devoted couple suffers misunderstandings due to a third party's interference, Albert decisively takes monastic vows. This is a Platonic love. The second is the one-sided love of the noblewoman Rosalie for Albert. She truly loves him. But it is she who, in her desperation to win Albert's affection, employs all means to destroy his happiness, leaving herself only with lifelong regret. This is a love driven by emotion. These two extraordinary love stories imbue the entire work with a rich romantic atmosphere, which is unique in Balzac's novels.