Read my first Balzac

[MsAmerica]

I recently read my first book (novella, I suppose) by Honoré* *de Balzac, The Girl With the Golden Eyes, more or less accidentally. I was at the library, and realized I need something small to carry along for a bunch of bus rides, and that happened to come to hand.

It left me cold. The first 20% or so was mildly enjoyable, basically expository opining about Parisian life. Then the major middle part is about the handsome young man’s infatuation with an unknown cloistered handsome girl, basically about his hopes and plans to seduce and abandon her. That aspect became increasing distasteful, at least to me, partly because of the antiquated (French?) notions about male-female relations. And then it resolves itself into rip-roaring Gothic romanticism hysteria, with plot twists coming out of nowhere.

I know I should be more respectful and appreciative, but I just couldn’t get past the aggravations of the plot. According to the book’s introduction, Balzac is considered at realist???

I enjoyed reading Balzac though I haven't read that one. He wrote a lot of novels (including some porn stories!) and the quality is variable. A couple of well-known good ones are "Cousin Bette", a cracking revenge story where a wronged woman takes down the family who rely on her, and "The Drunkard" about a working woman's fall into alcoholism. He is a realist in his settings and social observations but I agree about the melodramatic plots. It's a bit like saying that EastEnders or Corrie are realist.

He wrote for the context he lived in; also he had some sociological/ psychological theories which he work through in his novels. He's certainly not feminist.

Okay, Cousin Bette sounds like fun.

:)

I had to read Le Pere Goriot for A level French.
I had no idea Balzac also wrote racy stories.

Do you read it in French? I read Maigret in French. I love Maigret. 1930s Paris. So timeless.

I love the 400 blows. The protagonist suddenly finds a thing for Balzac. I am in the 400 blows - one of the kids at the puppet show. One of my claims to fame.

I tried reading Balzac in French but I found it impossible because he uses the slang of the time. Maupassant I can mostly understand in French, his language seems very "pure". Maigret I can read in French, Simenon deliberately uses a simplified vocabulary.

As young teen I discovered my grandmother's copy of "Droll Stories". She didn't have any other Balzac 😂

I find Balzac heavy going. Zola on the other hand, a lot more engaging. He really brings 19th C Paris alive.

Ah - I am getting some Zola and Balzac mixed up. Aging brain! L'Assommoir (the Drunkard) is Zola.

It seems unfair to have two French authors, both from the same century, both with a Z in their names!

Of course we'd get them mixed up!

Zola all the way for me. Much more relatable. I don’t want to read four page descriptions of a bedroom’s furniture.