BalzacGolden I
7-39
Honoré de Balzac
The Girl with the Golden Eyes
Balzac's writing
reflected the historical transition from a aristocratic, class mentality before
the French Revolution (1789-1798) to the mentality of the increasingly important
"bourgeois" class: an upper middle class of wealthy and propertied big
merchants, wholesalers, other business men, bankers, speculators, lawyers,
doctors, notaries, magistrates, etc. Whereas the aristocracy wanted the world
to be the continuation of a hierarchical, feudal class system in which an
inherently superior, leisure class of noble families, who traced their origins
back for centuries, dominated the bourgeoisie, workers, and peasants, the
bourgeoisie looked forward to a capitalist world dominated by those who
accumulated wealth and power through business and finance or who inherited this
earned wealth and power. For Balzac the latter is a world of a struggle for
power that must be achieved through calculation and manipulation.
But he projects the bourgeois struggle for economic
power onto the struggle for social power, particularly among the aristocracy.
His primary characters tend to be split
between those nobles or bourgeois men (and sometimes women) who achieve and
exercise power and those who are duped and exploited by the powerful.
The Girl with the Golden eyes (1933), like much of Balzac's prose, begins with a long, "sociological" description and analysis of typical Parisian characters from his era. These descriptions reflect the growth of sociology in France, particularly in the writings of Auguste Comte, the founder of sociology. Descriptions of society are not just "background" for Balzac. They help the reader understand the social importance of the character type’s struggle for power. The story tells us something about the role played by that character type in contemporary society. This is why historians have turned to Balzac as one source for their reconstruction of early nineteenth-century French society.
1. 7-20 “One of those…science of manners” Jot down
the dominant traits and values of Parisians in general according to the
narrator, then identify and jot down some distinguishing traits and values of
each of the five groups of Parisians (Values are that which matters most to a
person or group). Why do you think
Balzac says that he has presented this long categorization and description of
Parisian human types? Who profits
from the “hell” of Paris?
2. 21-22 (“Poor Henri…church likes!”) Characterize the type of education that Henri de Marsay receives from his tutor. What does his tutor believe that he should he learn? What is he preparing Henri to do in this increasingly bourgeois and capitalist society? How does Henri resemble Parisians as described by Balzac? How does he distinguish himself from them?
3. 2 4-26 (“In effect…farthing”) Characterize the contrasting characteristics of groups of young elegant men according to the narrator. To which group does Henri belong? Which finally success? What is success for the narrator? What characteristics must a successful young man have in order to succeed? Contrast these characteristics to the criteria of success for Paris’s upper middle class, bourgeois, men.
4. 27-39 ( “De Marsay had . . . the Hotel San-Real”) How does Henri’s friendship with Paul and his seduction of Paquita relate to Balzac’s description of the young elegant men who succeed in societyand politics, etc. (see question 3, Henri will become prime minister in "The Princess of Cadignan" which we will read next)? How does the successful young man treat others? What does he think of Paul and Paquita? What does he want from them?
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