Balzac: Old Goriot

by David Bellos

Book Overview

This up-to-date account of the novel's composition, structure, and achievement provides readers with the literary and historical knowledge needed to make sense of the text. Professor Bellos explains how Balzac challenged prevailing nineteenth-century expectations of what novels should be like.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0521316340
• ISBN13: 9780521316347
• Release Date: November 1987
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 116 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.0" x 7.8"

Customer Reviews

The price of social climbing

Superbly written view of the class struggle in 19th century Paris. Goriot buys his daughters up in social standing with their doweries but pays even more dearly in the end. As the suspense builds so does the realization of the inevitable outcome. Balzac presents a realistic view of the era, at times funny and at times full of promise but in the end squarely melancolic. The dialogue is crisp. Definitely worth the read.