BalzacGolden II
29-70

1.  39-47 “In order to be… intoxication of pleasure” Continue to explore what makes Henri such a superior man for Balzac’s narrator. What does he say and do in order to increase his power over others?  During his first rendez-vous with Paquita, what in that scene gives him pleasure?  What in the scene increases his and her pleasure?  Why?  What enrages him?Why?  How do his emotions change? Are  Is they all part of his passion?

2.  47-53 “In order to render…written in them”   What makes Henri have such great power according to the narrator ?  What happens when he tries to enter the carriage? during his time in her boudoir?  What does the description of the boudoir seem to say about his power and her role? What do her words seem to say about his power? What role does jealousy seem to play in his passions?  What turns on Paquita?

3.  53-58 “’Come, then, my love’. . .use of him’”  How do you interpret Paquita’s dressing Henri in a red dress (incorrectly translated as “robe”), woman’s bonnet, and shawl?  54 What do you make of Henri’s massive attraction for her during this scene?  What does he seem to desire?  What does this desire seem to say about his self-image as a powerful, self-controlled man?  What “indescribable sentiments” does he have upon leaving her?  What makes this affair so extraordinary for his desires, since this is not “true love" according to the narrator?

4.  58-64 “At this moment…to disbelieve” After Henri discovers that Paquita has used him rather than he using her, rather than he using her, what happens to his passion?  Why is he able to listen and figure out where he is being taken, where Paquita is?   What increases Henri’s power while he makes love to her this time?What do you think he decides to do when he returns to her boudoir?  What does Paquita reveal about her situation?  What does she seem to desire in him in this long passage?

5.  66-70 “He leaped…  In front of Cristemio, Henri trembles for the first time in his life, but then says to Cristemio, “The adventure is growing complicated in a most interesting way”.  What is Henri seeking in this strange and very dangerous affair?  What has he found?  Why does he find Margarita’s blood sublime and gives her a kiss?  Whom is he kissing?  What has the story told us about the most powerful men in early nineteenth-century France according to the narrator?