Father Goriot: The Human Comedy Series, Book 1

Unique Elements
An Essential Literary Classic by Honoré de Balzac

Father Goriot by French author Honoré de Balzac is a book of literary fiction initially published as a serialization in 1834 followed by the book form in 1835. This edition is the English translation by Ellen Marriage.

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‘But also if you have any genuine feelings, hide them like treasure; never let anyone so much as suspect them, or you're lost. Instead of being the executioner, you'll be the victim. And if you ever fall in love, keep that absolutely secret! Never breathe a word until you're completely sure of the person to whom you open your heart. And to protect that love, even before you feel it, learn to despise the world.’

Synopsis

Set against the the backdrop of 1819 Paris, in the middle of The Bourbon Restoration, the narrative follows the interwoven lives of three the elderly Père Goriot, who adores his two daughters; an elusive criminal who goes by the name of Vautrin; and Rastignac, a poor young student who travels to Paris from the countryside in the hopes of striking it rich.

A grim portrayal of a bourgeois society fixated on class ambitions and wealth, Father Goriot is widely held to be Balzac's seminal work of fiction, and the term "Rastignac", denoting an amoralistic social climber, came into popular use after the publication of the novel. It is the first volume in Balzac’s brilliant Human Comedy series of works (La Comédie Humaine).

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