5000-word Bedside English Learning Reader 4: Old Gossips (English-Chinese Contrastive)

Author: Wang Ruoping
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2007-01-01
Features: "Le Père Goriot" (French-Chinese Parallel Edition) is a classic reading book that allows you to read it entirely in English! Balzac (1799—1850) was a famous French critical realist novelist whose life spanned the turbulent first half of the 19th century. Through a series of novels under the general title La Comédie Humaine, he reflected the life of France during this period of rapid change. La Comédie Humaine is divided into three parts: Study of Customs, Study of Philosophy, and Analytical Study; among them, Study of Customs is particularly rich and is further divided into six "scenarios." Its basic content is as follows: First, it reflects the criminal rise of the rising bourgeoisie to replace the aristocracy. At the same time, it depicts the decline and fall of the aristocracy. The most important content is the critique of the power of money. Balzac portrays a series of tragedies centered around money, giving us an vivid understanding of the evils and corruption of capitalist society. The protagonist, Goriot, is born into poverty. In his youth, he made a living by selling vermicelli, and later became a grain supplier to the army, amassing great wealth. He dotes on his two daughters, dressing them in fine clothes and making them look splendid, eventually marrying them off to noble sons with dowries worth millions, turning the daughter of a flour merchant into a countess. However, his two daughters squandered his wealth like vampires, draining him dry. When the old man became penniless, they no longer allowed him to visit them, leaving him to die in a dilapidated attic, even failing to attend his funeral. Through Goriot's tragedy, the author criticizes the "paternal love" and "family bonds" built on the foundation of money, delivering a powerful indictment of a society where desires run rampant and morality has collapsed. Le Père Goriot also successfully portrays the image of the ambitious young man Rastignac and the fallen noblewoman, the Countess de Beauchamps. The former was originally a young aristocrat from the provinces who came to Paris to attend university and restore his family's fortunes. However, witnessing the extravagance and revelry of high society, his desire to climb the social ladder intensified. Under the influence of the Countess de Beauchamps and the escaped convict Vautrin, he gradually lost his sense of justice and began to sell his integrity for money. After witnessing how Goriot's two daughters treated their father as if squeezing a lemon dry, he became even more determined to pursue a path in the bourgeoisie. Le Père Goriot primarily depicts the process of the formation of his ambitious character. In his later works, he becomes even more unstoppable, rising to the position of Under-Secretary of State and a member of the Chamber of Peers, all based on extreme selfishness. The Countess de Beauchamps is an endless lament for the aristocracy by Balzac. She was born into a noble family and was the queen of Parisian high society. However, she was abandoned by her lover for lack of money and was forced to leave the Parisian upper class. The noble status could no longer withstand the power of money, and in later novels, she was again betrayed by money for the same reason. Her fate tells people that the aristocracy can only face failure, and money is the master of this world. Le Père Goriot is very rigorous in its artistry. The author creates a typical environment where typical characters interact, making the relationships between people and money fit the environment. The book arranges four plot threads, with Rastignac's decline as the main thread, while the others serve as supplements. They intertwine yet are clearly structured. The portrayal of typical characters is Balzac's greatest strength. Whether it is physical description or psychological portrayal, even the smallest details, such as Goriot sniffing each piece of bread under his nose, make the characters more vivid and lifelike. The individualized language of the characters is also one of the author's great skills. The language in the aristocratic salon is completely different from that of the escaped convict.