[Pocket Edition] World Literature Classics Library - The Fall of the House of Usher

Author: (French) Balzac (Balzac, H.) Author, Zheng Yonghui Translated
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2005-09-01
Features: The Misfortune is one of Balzac's representative works and is included in The Human Comedy: Provinces. The novel is set in Paris during the Restoration period and portrays two young provincial figures. One is the ambitious and vain young poet Lucien, who dreams of entering the upper class of Paris through his intelligence and talent, but ultimately suffers disgrace and returns to his hometown in humiliation; the other is the simple-minded industrialist David, who is forced to abandon his patent due to the cunning of unscrupulous merchants and retreats to the countryside. The novel presents a broad picture of the journey from the provinces to Paris after the French Revolution, depicting the characteristic phenomena of the Restoration period, reflecting how the talents of young people are crushed, their dreams are destroyed, and the temple of literature is turned into a place of shameless transactions and a dirty, filthy hell in a capitalist society where money reigns supreme. Balzac himself called The Misfortune "the foremost work in my writings" and "a full portrayal of our era." The central theme of The Misfortune is the story of the disillusionment of two talented and ambitious young men. The protagonist Lucien is a poet who has some reputation in the provinces. He arrives in Paris full of dreams but, under the influence of the corrupt atmosphere in the Parisian press, abandons serious creative pursuits and becomes a shameless journalist. Later, in factional struggles and literary conflicts, he suffers disgrace. His brother-in-law, David de Sechard, is a hardworking inventor who is forced to abandon his patent due to the treacherous schemes of his competitors and abandons his ideals of scientific research. The author closely links the experiences of these two young men with the spiritual state of an entire generation of youth and the broader social life, particularly the influence of Paris, giving the work universal significance. In Balzac's portrayal, 19th-century Paris is like the Sirens of Greek mythology, endlessly attracting and destroying young provincials. The Misfortune is one of Balzac's representative works and is included in The Human Comedy: Provinces. The novel is set in the Paris of the Restoration period and portrays two young provincial figures. One is the ambitious and vain young poet Lucien, who dreams of entering the upper class of Paris through his intelligence and talent, but ultimately suffers disgrace and returns to his hometown in humiliation; the other is the simple-minded industrialist David, who is forced to abandon his patent due to the cunning of unscrupulous merchants and retreats to the countryside. The novel presents a broad picture of the journey from the provinces to Paris after the French Revolution, depicting the characteristic phenomena of the Restoration period, reflecting how the talents of young people are crushed, their dreams are destroyed, and the temple of literature is turned into a place of shameless transactions and a dirty, filthy hell in a capitalist society where money reigns supreme. Balzac himself called The Misfortune "the foremost work in my writings" and "a full portrayal of our era."