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The Magic Skin

Honoré de Balzac

Book Overview: 

Something along the lines of Dorian Gray as part of the Comedies Humane Philosophique, this is Balzac's first successful novel. He even wrote "criticisms" of the writing himself in promotion of the book, in addition to hyping the work before it even came out. It is a criticism of materialism and French bourgeoisie as so many of his compiled works seek to be. Some same characters reappear.

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Book Excerpt: 
. . .d men blabbed secrets to the inquisitive, who were long past heeding them. Saturnine faces were wreathed in smiles worthy of a pirouetting dancer. Claude Vignon shuffled about like a bear in a cage. Intimate friends began to fight.

Animal likenesses, so curiously traced by physiologists in human faces, came out in gestures and behavior. A book lay open for a Bichat if he had repaired thither fasting and collected. The master of the house, knowing his condition, did not dare stir, but encouraged his guests' extravangances with a fixed grimacing smile, meant to be hospitable and appropriate. His large face, turning from blue and red to a purple shade terrible to see, partook of the general commotion by movements like the heaving and pitching of a brig.

"Now, did you murder them?" Emile asked him.

"Capital punishment is going to be abolished, they say, in favor of the Revolution of July," answered Taillefer, raising his eyebrows with drunke. . . Read More

Community Reviews

به شخصه عقیده دارم خوندن رمان کلاسیک خیلی خیلی به حال آدم بستگی داره و یه شرایط خاصی می‌طلبه، انگار وقتی عجله داری نباید بری سمت اینجور کتابا، یا زمانی که فقط دلت می‌خواد با شخصیتا ارتباط بگیری و بپری وسط ماجرا و کنجکاو آخر داستان اون کتابی. ولی یه زمانی میرسه که دلت می‌خواد اروم باشی بدون اضطراب ای

This review contains major spoilers for La Peau de chagrin, Illusions perdues and Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes

After reading La Peau de chagrin, written near the beginning of Balzac's career, and Illusions perdues, written near the end, I'm wondering about the striking parallelism between th

A poor immature young "man" and I write this word loosely, plans to jump into the Seine River and end it all, yet his dissipated conduct will make others uneasy and lack of sympathy toward him becomes universal..Raphael de Valentin is the boorish main character and while he is no hero this book made

All the works of this period, including "La Peau de chagrin", constitute a transition from the fictional or adventurous historical novel to the purely realistic. For the time being, however, Balzac's stories are more of an amalgam of different literary genres, bound to a successful narrative techniq

من چندان آدم باحوصله‌ای نیستم و معمولا هم در کتاب خواندن شتاب‌زده‌ام، به‌ویژه رمان که بیشتر برایم سرگرمی است. امّا چه چیزی باعث می‌شود بالزاک را با همه‌ی طول و تفصیل‌های آزارنده‌اش بپسندم؟
بالزاک می‌داند چطور باید داستان تعریف کند، و کمدی انسانی می‌نویسد. موشکافی انسان‌ها در کتاب‌های بالزاک و تقلّایش

He made fun of everything, his own prospects included. Always short of money, he remained, like all men with a future before them, wallowing in inexpressible idleness, condensing a whole book into one epigram for the benefit of people who were incapable of putting one witticism into a whole book. La

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