Here's an interesting article on Balzac and Pere Goriot, following up on what Nick said about the Balzac/Marx & Engels connection. Who knew the "de" in Balzac's name was a creation of the author himself?
http://www.nytimes.com/books/99/05/23/bookend/bookend.html?scp=9&sq=balzac%20goriot&st=cse
6.17.2009
Quote from "Word of the Day"
Just thought this was a propos. Judging from the time period of this author's lifetime, Paris didn't so much decline socially in that following 100 years as it simply stayed the course:
"Society is composed of two great classes: those who have more dinners than appetite, and those who have more appetite than dinners." -Sebastien-Roch-Nicolas de Chamfort, writer (1741-1794)
"Society is composed of two great classes: those who have more dinners than appetite, and those who have more appetite than dinners." -Sebastien-Roch-Nicolas de Chamfort, writer (1741-1794)
6.11.2009
Finished with Goriot
So I don't want to post spoilers or anything at this point, just the general observation that, in many ways, this reminded me most of The Monk. Specifically, we follow these tales of the corruption of our protagonist's character, seduced there by a desire for women, of course, yet with the modern twist of the elimination of devils and spirits, only the machinations of the urban psyche to blame.
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