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Eugène De Rastignac
Eugène de Rastignac () is a fictional character from , a series of novels by Honoré de Balzac. He appears as a main character in (1835), and his social advancement in the post-revolutionary French world depicted by Balzac can be followed through Rastignac's various appearances in other books of the series. Rastignac is initially portrayed as an ambitious young man of noble, albeit poor, extraction who is at times both envious of and naive about high society. Although he is ready to do anything to achieve his goals, he spurns the advice of Vautrin (the series' dark criminal mastermind) and instead uses his own wits and charm (especially through relationships with women, such as his cousin Madame de Beauséant) to arrive at his ends. His eventual social success in the fictional world of the is frequently contrasted with the tragic failure of another young parvenu in the series: Lucien de Rubempré (who accepts the aid of Vautrin and ends his life by his own hands). In French to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Le Bal De Sceaux
''Le Bal de Sceaux'' (''The Ball at Sceaux'') is the fifth work of Honoré de Balzac, one of the oldest texts of '' la Comédie Humaine''. The first edition of this novella was published in 1830 by Mame and Delaunay-Vallée in the ''Scènes de la vie privée'' (''Scenes of Private Life''). It was republished in 1835 by Madame Charles-Béchet, in 1839 in the Charpentier edition, and then in 1842 in the first volume of the Furne edition of '' la Comédie Humaine''. Analysis In writing this novella Balzac seems to have been inspired by the fables of La Fontaine Jean de La Fontaine (, , ; 8 July 162113 April 1695) was a French fabulist and one of the most widely read French poets of the 17th century. He is known above all for his '' Fables'', which provided a model for subsequent fabulists across Eu ..., especially ''La fille'' ("The Girl") and ''Héron'' ("The Heron"). There is also an allusion to La Fontaine in the choice of Émilie's surname. The plot is similar to that o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fictional French People In Literature
Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a traditional narrow sense, "fiction" refers to written narratives in prose often referring specifically to novels, novellas, and short stories. More broadly, however, fiction encompasses imaginary narratives expressed in any medium, including not just writings but also live theatrical performances, films, television programs, radio dramas, comics, role-playing games, and video games. Definition Typically, the fictionality of a work is publicly marketed and so the audience expects the work to deviate in some ways from the real world rather than presenting, for instance, only factually accurate portrayals or characters who are actual people. Because fiction is generally understood to not fully adhere to the real world, the themes and context o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
La Cousine Bette
''La Cousine Bette'' (, ''Cousin Bette (given name), Bette'') is an 1846 novel by French author Honoré de Balzac. Set in mid-19th-century Paris, it tells the story of an unmarried middle-aged woman who plots the destruction of her extended family. Bette works with Valérie Marneffe, an unhappily married young lady, to seduce and torment a series of men. One of these is Baron Hector Hulot, husband to Bette's cousin Adeline. He sacrifices his family's fortune and good name to please Valérie, who leaves him for a well-off merchant named Crevel. The book is part of the ''Scènes de la vie parisienne'' section of Balzac's novel sequence ''La Comédie humaine'' ("The Human Comedy"). In the 1840s, a serial format is known as the ''roman-feuilleton'' was highly popular in France, and the most acclaimed expression of it was the socialist writing of Eugène Sue. Balzac wanted to challenge Sue's supremacy, and prove himself the most capable ''feuilleton'' author in France. Writing quickly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polydactyly
Polydactyly or polydactylism (), also known as hyperdactyly, is an anomaly in humans and animals resulting in supernumerary fingers and/or toes. Polydactyly is the opposite of oligodactyly (fewer fingers or toes). Signs and symptoms In humans/animals this condition can present itself on one or both hands or feet. The extra digit is usually a small piece of soft tissue that can be removed. Occasionally it contains bone without joints; rarely it may be a complete functioning digit. The extra digit is most common on the ulnar (little finger) side of the hand, less common on the radial ( thumb) side, and very rarely within the middle three digits. These are respectively known as postaxial (little finger), preaxial (thumb), and central (ring, middle, index fingers) polydactyly. The extra digit is most commonly an abnormal fork in an existing digit, or it may rarely originate at the wrist as a normal digit does. The incidence of congenital deformities in newborns is approximately 2 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
La Peau De Chagrin
''La Peau de chagrin'' (, ''The Skin of Shagreen''), known in English as ''The Magic Skin and The Wild Ass's Skin'', is an 1831 novel by French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850). Set in early 19th-century Paris, it tells the story of a young man who finds a magic piece of shagreen (untanned skin from a wild ass) that fulfills his every desire. For each wish granted, however, the skin shrinks and consumes a portion of his physical energy. ''La Peau de chagrin'' belongs to the ''Études philosophiques'' group of Balzac's sequence of novels, ''La Comédie humaine''. Before the book was completed, Balzac created excitement about it by publishing a series of articles and story fragments in several Parisian journals. Although he was five months late in delivering the manuscript, he succeeded in generating sufficient interest that the novel sold out instantly upon its publication. A second edition, which included a series of twelve other "philosophical tales", wa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ursule Mirouet
Ursule (Serbian Cyrillic: Урсуле) is a village in Šumadija and Western Serbia (Šumadija), in the municipality of Rekovac (Region of Levač), lying at , at the elevation The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Ver ... of 215 m. According to the 2002 census, the village had 400 citizens. External links Levac OnlinePictures from Ursule Populated places in Pomoravlje District Šumadija {{PomoravljeRS-geo-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
La Rabouilleuse
''La Rabouilleuse'' (''The Black Sheep'', or ''The Two Brothers'') is an 1842 novel by Honoré de Balzac, and is one of '' The Celibates'' in the series '' La Comédie humaine''. ''The Black Sheep'' is the title of the English translation by Donald Adamson published by Penguin Classics. It tells the story of the Bridau family, trying to regain their lost inheritance after a series of mishaps. Though for years an overlooked work in Balzac's canon, it has gained popularity and respect in recent years. ''The Guardian'' listed ''The Black Sheep'' 12 on its list of the 100 Greatest Novels of All Time. Plot summary The action of the novel is divided between Paris and Issoudun. Agathe Rouget, who was born in Issoudun, was sent by her father, Doctor Rouget to be raised by her maternal relatives, the Descoings in Paris. Doctor Rouget suspects (wrongly) that he is not her true father. In Paris, she marries a man named Bridau, and they have two sons, Philippe, and Joseph. Monsieur Bridau di ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Splendeurs Et Misères Des Courtisanes
''Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes'', translated variously as ''The Splendors and Miseries of Courtesans'', ''A Harlot High and Low'', or as ''Lost Souls'', is an 1838-1847 novel by French novelist Honoré de Balzac, published in four initially separate parts: * ''Esther Happy'' (''Esther heureuse'', 1838) * ''What Love Costs an Old Man'' (''À combien l’amour revient aux vieillards'', 1843) * ''The End of Evil Ways'' (''Où mènent les mauvais chemins'', 1846) * ''The Last Incarnation of Vautrin'' (''La Dernière incarnation de Vautrin'', 1847) It continues the story of Lucien de Rubempré, who was a main character in ''Illusions perdues'', a preceding Balzac novel. ''Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes'' forms part of Balzac's ''La Comédie humaine''. Plot summary Lucien de Rubempré and the self-proclaimed abbey Carlos Herrera ( Vautrin) have made a pact, in which Lucien will arrive at success in Paris if he agrees to follow Vautrin's instructions blindly. Esther v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Morea
The Morea ( el, Μορέας or ) was the name of the Peloponnese peninsula in southern Greece during the Middle Ages and the early modern period. The name was used for the Byzantine province known as the Despotate of the Morea, by the Ottoman Empire for the Morea Eyalet, and later by the Republic of Venice for the short-lived Kingdom of the Morea. Etymology There is some uncertainty over the origin of the medieval name "Morea", which is first recorded only in the 10th century in the Byzantine chronicles. Traditionally, scholars thought the name to have originated from the word ''morea'' (μορέα), meaning morus or mulberry, a tree which, though known in the region from the ancient times, gained value after the 6th century, when mulberry-eating silkworms were smuggled from China to Byzantium. The British Byzantinist Steven Runciman suggested that the name comes "from the likeness of its shape to that of a mulberry leaf". History After the conquest of Constantinople by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Étude De Femme
''Étude de femme'' (English "Study of a Woman") is a short story by Honoré de Balzac. It was published in 1830 and is one of the ''Scènes de la vie privée'' of ''La Comédie humaine''. Plot summary The story is narrated in the first-person by Doctor Horace Bianchon. A young married society woman, Madame de Listomère briefly meets Eugène de Rastignac at a social gathering. The next day he writes a letter to his lover, Madame de Nucingen, but mistakenly addresses it to Madame de Listomère. When Madame de Listomère reads this letter she is scandalised. Rastignac only realises his mistake four days later, and it is confirmed to him by his friend, Horace Bianchon, who saw him writing the letter when he was visiting him. Rastignac visits Madame de Listomère to try to clear the mistake. He is initially told that Madame is not home, but is let in by her husband when he arrives. Rastignac discovers that Madame de Listomère actually is at home and speaks to her. By this time, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Le Cabinet Des Antiques
''Le Cabinet des Antiques'' (''The Cabinet of Antiquities'') is a French novel published by Honoré de Balzac in 1838 under the title ''les Rivalités en province'' (''Rivalries in the provinces'') in '' le Constitutionnel'', then published as a work in its own right in 1838 by the Souverain publishing house. With '' la Vieille Fille'', the work fits into ''les Rivalités'', an isolated group in the ''Scènes de la vie de province'' collection of ''la Comédie humaine''. In it, Balzac portrays the old nobility in the French provinces, ruined by the French Revolution and forgotten by the restored Bourbons. The marquis d’Esgrignon, his sister and his friends represent this social group, which the author had already portrayed in '' la Vieille Fille''. The younger generation within this class, represented by the marquis's son, causes his loss, sucked in by the whirlpool of Paris, where he lives merrily and ruins his fortunes. ''Le Cabinet des Antiques'' works as a sequel to ''la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
