Lower Lieutenant

Author: Written by Balzac
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1998-10-01
Features: The three novellas—The Colonel Chabert, Olympia, and The Illustrious General—all revolve around tragedies within marriages. Three men of outstanding virtue and extraordinary character suffer cruel fates. The wives, driven by vanity, pleasure, money, and status, show no compassion, labeling their husbands as fools (The Illustrious General); or even accusing them of impersonation, determined to see them destroyed (The Colonel Chabert). Olympia is the purest and most serious of the three women, yet her pursuit of unrealistic and fantastical love, coupled with her impossible ambitions for life, ultimately leads to an irreparable tragedy, ending her life alongside her husband. Each novella, like all of Balzac's works, presents a stark contrast between good and evil, right and wrong, beauty and ugliness. The virtuous and the wicked coexist, leaving readers with a sense of both laughter and sorrow. The three novellas in this book all explore tragedies within marriages. Three men of outstanding virtue and extraordinary character suffer cruel fates. The wives, driven by vanity, pleasure, money, and status, show no compassion, labeling their husbands as fools (The Illustrious General); or even accusing them of impersonation, determined to see them destroyed (The Colonel Chabert). Olympia is the purest and most serious of the three women, yet her pursuit of unrealistic and fantastical love, coupled with her impossible ambitions for life, ultimately leads to an irreparable tragedy, ending her life alongside her husband.