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Available
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Series
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Publication
Penguin Classics (1981), Paperback, 304 pages
Description
Classic Literature. Fiction. HTML: Father Goriot is one of French novelist Honore de Balzac's most important pieces of writing. Three lives intertwine in Paris: an old man, a criminal and a law student. The novel evokes an unstable period in France, when many were desperate to climb the social ladder into the upper classes, and it questions social institutions such as marriage. The city is an important presence in this work. Balzac was both praised and censured for his realistic portrayal of city life..
User reviews
LibraryThing member patrickgarson
This book snuck up on me. I thought it was going to be one kind of classic, but upon finishing realised it was a different kind - a genuine classic. Hiding beneath Balzac's congenial, almost garrulous tone there is a sharp and unsentimental eye. By the book's conclusion I could well see a writer
The book opens on Madame Vacquer's boardinghouse - accommodation for those bobbing just above the tideline of poverty. Its motley inhabitants are drawn together by little more than propinquity; some on the way up, others on the way down, and others in a grim holding pattern until old age or disease take them. Eugene Rastignac, a bucolic just-nobleman is on the way up, drawn to Paris for his legal studies, and soon to be awed by an introduction to the city's dizziest heights. One the way down is the eponymous Goriot. Once a wealthy trader, plump from exploitation during the revolution, every day seems to leave him poorer.
But what could the ridiculous Goriot have in common with the young, up-and-coming Rastignac? The answer to this question forms the book's core. And whilst, superficially, it seems a familiar tale from the nineteenth century, it is in fact one of the first, and one with true insight. Balzac is not content to use the ups-and-downs of those with a precarious hold on security merely to propel a narrative, as so many of his disciples were wont to do; he's trying to say something.
He does take his sweet time getting there, however. The first fifty pages or so left me distinctly underwhelmed. It's easy to see why W. Somerset Maugham was such an admirer of Balzac: Much like Maugham, he likes to pepper his narrative with little asides and ruminations on society, clothing, any notion that takes his fancy, really. And, like Maugham, these asides only sometimes justify the narrative break required to furnish them.
Balzac's foremost talent is his observational skill. The characters are rendered almost effortlessly. Recognisable types, to be sure, but types that expand almost on demand to contain complexities, contradictions, shades of grey. Indeed, in a lot of ways Pere Goriot is a Bildungsroman whose first concern is the expansion of Rastignac. But his development - like most portrayals in the book - is neither smooth, nor predictable, nor simplistic.
Whilst Balzac can embrace the cliche when he wants - as with the grasping comedy of Madame Vacquer - he eschews it for his main characters, giving us protagonists with a healthly dose of ambiguity. We identify with them, because of their flaws in addition to their virtues. To me, it gave the book an emotional heft that a dozen other 19th century novels with very similar plots lack.
It also highlights Balzac's larger game, which is to turn a critical eye on French society's most venal hypocrisies. It's a harsh eye at times, but not jaundiced. Balzac isn't interested in agitprop or simple class escapism. He means to entertain, most assuredly - and the book grows progressively entertaining as typified by its chaotic dinner scenes - but not without provocation.
In conclusion, I enjoyed Pere Goriot, a lot. I'm unsure how much of this can be attributed the novel's slow start and my subsequent expectations - discovering its merits was like biting into a plain pastry only to realise the centre is filled with delicious jam. However, even those expecting jam could not be disappointed with something so sweet yet at the same time tart, and all in such a small package - barely 250 pages. This accessible, intelligent novel really is a must for anyone with an interest in 19th century literature, preceding as it does so much of it, and so well.
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that would go on to inspire a whole generation from Zola, to Dickens, to Flaubert and Dostoevsky. The book opens on Madame Vacquer's boardinghouse - accommodation for those bobbing just above the tideline of poverty. Its motley inhabitants are drawn together by little more than propinquity; some on the way up, others on the way down, and others in a grim holding pattern until old age or disease take them. Eugene Rastignac, a bucolic just-nobleman is on the way up, drawn to Paris for his legal studies, and soon to be awed by an introduction to the city's dizziest heights. One the way down is the eponymous Goriot. Once a wealthy trader, plump from exploitation during the revolution, every day seems to leave him poorer.
But what could the ridiculous Goriot have in common with the young, up-and-coming Rastignac? The answer to this question forms the book's core. And whilst, superficially, it seems a familiar tale from the nineteenth century, it is in fact one of the first, and one with true insight. Balzac is not content to use the ups-and-downs of those with a precarious hold on security merely to propel a narrative, as so many of his disciples were wont to do; he's trying to say something.
He does take his sweet time getting there, however. The first fifty pages or so left me distinctly underwhelmed. It's easy to see why W. Somerset Maugham was such an admirer of Balzac: Much like Maugham, he likes to pepper his narrative with little asides and ruminations on society, clothing, any notion that takes his fancy, really. And, like Maugham, these asides only sometimes justify the narrative break required to furnish them.
Balzac's foremost talent is his observational skill. The characters are rendered almost effortlessly. Recognisable types, to be sure, but types that expand almost on demand to contain complexities, contradictions, shades of grey. Indeed, in a lot of ways Pere Goriot is a Bildungsroman whose first concern is the expansion of Rastignac. But his development - like most portrayals in the book - is neither smooth, nor predictable, nor simplistic.
Whilst Balzac can embrace the cliche when he wants - as with the grasping comedy of Madame Vacquer - he eschews it for his main characters, giving us protagonists with a healthly dose of ambiguity. We identify with them, because of their flaws in addition to their virtues. To me, it gave the book an emotional heft that a dozen other 19th century novels with very similar plots lack.
It also highlights Balzac's larger game, which is to turn a critical eye on French society's most venal hypocrisies. It's a harsh eye at times, but not jaundiced. Balzac isn't interested in agitprop or simple class escapism. He means to entertain, most assuredly - and the book grows progressively entertaining as typified by its chaotic dinner scenes - but not without provocation.
In conclusion, I enjoyed Pere Goriot, a lot. I'm unsure how much of this can be attributed the novel's slow start and my subsequent expectations - discovering its merits was like biting into a plain pastry only to realise the centre is filled with delicious jam. However, even those expecting jam could not be disappointed with something so sweet yet at the same time tart, and all in such a small package - barely 250 pages. This accessible, intelligent novel really is a must for anyone with an interest in 19th century literature, preceding as it does so much of it, and so well.
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LibraryThing member klarusu
This was my first foray into Balzac and it certainly won't be my last. It is, in a way, less a story of old Goriot himself (an old man, almost destitute, living in a run-down boarding house on the seedier side of Paris, visited occasionally by two beautiful young women who he claims are his
It is an easy read and the style is both contemporary and accessible to the modern-day reader despite the age of the work. It is a great book, a portrait of human failings, of self-interest, of consuming passions and of the cynicism of romantic attachments. I would highly recommend it.
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daughters) as it is of Eugene Rastignac, the young student who shares the boarding house with Goriot and a host of richly drawn supporting characters. Balzac creates a masterful description, evocative and vibrant, bringing the high society and low underbelly of Paris alive for the reader. He is ascerbic and satirical in his portrayal of life at both ends of the social scale and makes astute observations about the human condition in general through his well-realised cast of characters and the moral dilemmas they face. Often this is executed with sharp humour, relevant in its application to certain elements of modern-day human interaction. It is an easy read and the style is both contemporary and accessible to the modern-day reader despite the age of the work. It is a great book, a portrait of human failings, of self-interest, of consuming passions and of the cynicism of romantic attachments. I would highly recommend it.
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LibraryThing member poetontheone
Balzac gives readers a nuanced and meticulous moral drama portraying the French high society and its destructive power. His eye for detail is unparalleled ad his characters are full and multidimensional. A master prose stylist that reveals to us the horrors the of Parisian life in realistic yet
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tragic ways. A succinct read that belies layers of intricacy andl eds itself to study and analysis regarding ideas of family, class, and society. Show Less
LibraryThing member jnwelch
I had Old Goriot recommended as a place to start with Honore de Balzac, and it worked well. It's set in post-Napoleonic Paris, and at various times made me think both of King Lear and Charles Dickens. There is a strong cynical view of upper vs. lower classes in it. Old Goriot had become wealthy via
The other central character is law student Eugene Ratsignac, a largely pure-hearted young man who wants to make his way in Parisian society. He has little money, which normally would make such advancement impossible, but he has an aristocratic family connection that gets him some initial footing on that social ladder. A cousin is willing to help him, and soon he makes a powerful romantic ally.
Old Goriot lives for the happiness of his daughters, and they take every advantage of his generosity with little demonstration of paternal affection. Their husbands don't want him around, and he lives for brief glimpses of his daughters. Eugene comes to appreciate Goriot's sacrifice, and the nobility of his soul.
Turns out that Dickens was indeed influenced by Balzac, and there's even a Magwitch-type character in Old Goriot, the ex-convict Vauterin, except his aims are self-benefit rather than recompense. Vauterin tests Eugene's honesty, and Goriot's treatment by his daughters and their husbands, among other things, opens Eugene's eyes to the often vicious nature of Parisian high society. In this book and others Balzac apparently broke from a more romantic tradition and provided a realism that readers hadn't seen before. Old Goriot provides a vivid and unflattering picture of Paris in that era, as two more noble spirits try to negotiate their way through it.
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his vermicelli (!) business, and was able to set up his two daughters in marriages to aristocratic gentlemen. To help finance them, he lives modestly in a boarding house. The book begins with what for me was a dense and lengthy foundation-setting involving the boarding house's inhabitants, but once that was done the novel became much more engaging.The other central character is law student Eugene Ratsignac, a largely pure-hearted young man who wants to make his way in Parisian society. He has little money, which normally would make such advancement impossible, but he has an aristocratic family connection that gets him some initial footing on that social ladder. A cousin is willing to help him, and soon he makes a powerful romantic ally.
Old Goriot lives for the happiness of his daughters, and they take every advantage of his generosity with little demonstration of paternal affection. Their husbands don't want him around, and he lives for brief glimpses of his daughters. Eugene comes to appreciate Goriot's sacrifice, and the nobility of his soul.
Turns out that Dickens was indeed influenced by Balzac, and there's even a Magwitch-type character in Old Goriot, the ex-convict Vauterin, except his aims are self-benefit rather than recompense. Vauterin tests Eugene's honesty, and Goriot's treatment by his daughters and their husbands, among other things, opens Eugene's eyes to the often vicious nature of Parisian high society. In this book and others Balzac apparently broke from a more romantic tradition and provided a realism that readers hadn't seen before. Old Goriot provides a vivid and unflattering picture of Paris in that era, as two more noble spirits try to negotiate their way through it.
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LibraryThing member thorold
Just about the only thing I remembered from last time I read this, in my teens, was that Goriot was in the vermicelli business. It's odd how that sort of unimportant detail sticks in your mind!
In a way, this is the standard French novel plot, i.e. young man from the provinces comes to Paris and
In a way, this is the standard French novel plot, i.e. young man from the provinces comes to Paris and
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meets sophisticated older woman, but with two very particular twists: Goriot, the retired businessman who has sacrificed everything to launch his daughters into society and now finds himself treated like King Lear, and the elusive Vautrin, a self-made man of a different sort altogether. The very compact story makes a nice change from the long-windedness of 19th century English novelists with three volumes to fill, and so does Balzac's healthy cynicism: a story doesn't necessarily have to end with everyone neatly married off, and it's perfectly possible for someone to attend a sentimental deathbed scene without becoming a reformed character as a result. Show Less
LibraryThing member Schmerguls
1194. Pere Goirot, by Honore de Balzac (read 5 Nov 1972) The good experience I had with the preceding Balzac novel led me to look forward greatly to reading this, but I was surprised by how stupid the story was. It tells of an old man who loves his two daughters so much that he pauperizes himself
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--not for their good, but for their bad! He helps their boyfriends (both married), buys them jewels, etc. It is just the most moronic story. Eugene Rastignac is a student of 22 who is also an obnoxious person, whining money out of his poor family so he can buy stupid luxuries and impress stupid women. I cannot say anything good aboout the book except that it was easy to read. But the story, the characters, everything made me contemptuous. I decided to read no more Balzac--and I have not. [In August 2008 I did read Cousin Bette. and again decided I need read no more Balzac.] Show Less
LibraryThing member Smiler69
When an elegant Monsieur Goriot first moves into Madame Vauquer's shabby boarding house, the middle-aged woman is impressed with his expensive clothes and the costly furniture and accessories he has brought with him to his ample rooms, which are among the best her humble lodgings have to offer. She
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considers he might be a good prospect for her, but in very little time, Goriot is visibly reduced, has moved into her cheapest quarters and sold off all his silverware, and she, along with the other lodgers, take to making fun of the old man to his face, and accusing him of seeing prostitutes when two elegant ladies come to visit him on occasion. The truth is that the old man has given away all his worldly possessions so that his two grown daughters could have the best of everything, have brilliant marriages, and be important members of Parisian high society in the early 19th century. Only one of Old Goriot's fellow lodgers, Eugene de Rastignac—a young law student—takes a real interest in the old man, and before long, the ambitious youth finds himself wrapped up in Goriot's family drama. A searing criticism about a society more interested in appearances than in individual wellbeing, and a moving portrayal of the extremes to which a father will go out of love for his children. Show Less
LibraryThing member michelebel
What a splendid, yet daunting, vision Balzac must have had when he set out to write his extraordinary body of work, "La Comédie Humaine", a collection of almost 100 novels and plays. If "Père Goriot" is indicative of his oeuvre, then I have a lot of reading to do - I found this book compelling.
Many of the characters could be any of the selfish, materialistic, social climbers who have contributed to the global financial crisis that we are all enduring today. For Balzac holds up a mirror to ourselves and if we care to examine the reflection, we can see all the vanities, the petty squabbles, the emptiness of much of what passes as contemporary life. Why is depression the most rapidly increasing mental illness in Western societies despite the rampant consumerism that sees us with 'stuff' we don't need?
Balzac certainly shows us the darker side of human nature but he also gives Rastignac and the medical student the empathy that leaves us with a sense of hope that not everyone is tarnished by egoism, that both good and evil are part of the human condition and it is up to us to choose which one we should follow.
The tragedy of Père Goriot is not unusual - the blind, unselfish love that creates its own destruction is a familiar story as anyone who has suffered unrequited love can attest. And what is Vautrin but the embodiment of the immoral conmen of today, whether they be politicians, drug lords, or businessmen intent on feathering their gaudy nests with no regard for anyone else.
Balzac's descriptions of Paris, the poverty existing so close to luxury, are illuminating and realistic- the odours of Madame Vauquer's boarding house can almost be smelt. This is a wonderful, timeless book, as is so much good literature, and if we dare to examine ourselves, we will find there is much that relates to us in "Père Goriot".
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Many of the characters could be any of the selfish, materialistic, social climbers who have contributed to the global financial crisis that we are all enduring today. For Balzac holds up a mirror to ourselves and if we care to examine the reflection, we can see all the vanities, the petty squabbles, the emptiness of much of what passes as contemporary life. Why is depression the most rapidly increasing mental illness in Western societies despite the rampant consumerism that sees us with 'stuff' we don't need?
Balzac certainly shows us the darker side of human nature but he also gives Rastignac and the medical student the empathy that leaves us with a sense of hope that not everyone is tarnished by egoism, that both good and evil are part of the human condition and it is up to us to choose which one we should follow.
The tragedy of Père Goriot is not unusual - the blind, unselfish love that creates its own destruction is a familiar story as anyone who has suffered unrequited love can attest. And what is Vautrin but the embodiment of the immoral conmen of today, whether they be politicians, drug lords, or businessmen intent on feathering their gaudy nests with no regard for anyone else.
Balzac's descriptions of Paris, the poverty existing so close to luxury, are illuminating and realistic- the odours of Madame Vauquer's boarding house can almost be smelt. This is a wonderful, timeless book, as is so much good literature, and if we dare to examine ourselves, we will find there is much that relates to us in "Père Goriot".
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LibraryThing member threadnsong
I read it in college, and now am re-reading it. It's amazing how talking with a few college professors in the course of one's work will make you take the book from the shelf, dust it off, and pull the underlining pen out of the drawer. And the amazing thing now is, now that I'm out of college,
I'm reading it now and looking at some key sentences and thinking, Oh, wow, that could have been a term paper all on its own!" Age brings wisdom and patience."
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there are so many more nuances that didn't exist for me before, though I did recognize at the first reading the genius Balzac had for making observations about people and how true they are 150 years later. I'm reading it now and looking at some key sentences and thinking, Oh, wow, that could have been a term paper all on its own!" Age brings wisdom and patience."
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LibraryThing member williamcostiganjr
There's a lot to love about this book. The writing is evocative and often humourous.
However, there is a lot of extra padding that could have been trimmed. Sometimes the characters go on repeating themselves for pages at a time. The romance is overdone--but considering when it was written, is not so
I liked Balzac's black humor, showcased in frequent asides about Paris, money, family, society, etc. I liked how money incessantly influenced his characters' actions.
The story is far-fetched in parts, but that did not detract from my enjoyment too much.
However, there is a lot of extra padding that could have been trimmed. Sometimes the characters go on repeating themselves for pages at a time. The romance is overdone--but considering when it was written, is not so
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bad.I liked Balzac's black humor, showcased in frequent asides about Paris, money, family, society, etc. I liked how money incessantly influenced his characters' actions.
The story is far-fetched in parts, but that did not detract from my enjoyment too much.
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LibraryThing member rocketjk
This was my first Balzac novel, although I've read several of his short stories, and I found it insightful, sad and funny, if a bit over-written in parts. The book shows us the story of Eugene Rastinac, a young member of the rural French gentry who comes to the big city, determined to make his way
Henry Reed, the translater of the Signet Classic edition I read, tells us in his Afterword that Balzac was in the habit of going back and amending his works, sometimes even after they'd been published. Those amendments usually consisted of additional text, and not always, as Reed tells it, to the ultimate benefit of the work. Still, while some French publishers offer shorter versions, Reed has here translated the entire text of Balzac's final edition. And, really, it's not that hard to tell where the padding has occurred, as his characters speeches sometimes seem overlong, especially towards the end.
Nevertheless, Pere Goriot is keen social satire, the characterizations are quite good, and the observations are often both memorable and funny. For example very early on, we are told that Madame Vaquer, the keeper of the rooming house, had originally entertained designs of marriage on Goriot during his first days as a lodger, but that those hopes had quickly been dashed. Her reaction is described, in part, thusly:
"Inevitably, she went farther in hostility than she had ever gone in friendship. It was her expectations, not her love, that had been disappointed. If the human heart sometimes finds moments of pause as it ascends the slopes of affection, it rarely halts on the way down."
The hypocricy, and the heart, of human society at all its levels is investigated well, here. And the book is lots of fun.
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in the society of early 19th Century Paris (and/or study law). His story intersects with that of the title character, an old retiree who, King Lear-like, has made the mistake of giving his fortune to his two daughters in the expectation that they will care for him in his old age. Rastinac and Goriot meet in the run-down rats nest of a rooming house they both live in, an abode described so well that a reader can almost smell the dust and feel the decay.Henry Reed, the translater of the Signet Classic edition I read, tells us in his Afterword that Balzac was in the habit of going back and amending his works, sometimes even after they'd been published. Those amendments usually consisted of additional text, and not always, as Reed tells it, to the ultimate benefit of the work. Still, while some French publishers offer shorter versions, Reed has here translated the entire text of Balzac's final edition. And, really, it's not that hard to tell where the padding has occurred, as his characters speeches sometimes seem overlong, especially towards the end.
Nevertheless, Pere Goriot is keen social satire, the characterizations are quite good, and the observations are often both memorable and funny. For example very early on, we are told that Madame Vaquer, the keeper of the rooming house, had originally entertained designs of marriage on Goriot during his first days as a lodger, but that those hopes had quickly been dashed. Her reaction is described, in part, thusly:
"Inevitably, she went farther in hostility than she had ever gone in friendship. It was her expectations, not her love, that had been disappointed. If the human heart sometimes finds moments of pause as it ascends the slopes of affection, it rarely halts on the way down."
The hypocricy, and the heart, of human society at all its levels is investigated well, here. And the book is lots of fun.
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LibraryThing member AlanWPowers
Cheering for a father of daughters to read this book--or any father. The daughters only write to ask for funds, as they make their way up the social ladder well above where they can even acknowledge their father.
Who but Balzac writes of a proud French General, "simple as a child," or of
The wonderful, patheti ending features a French funeral--for which , see Dickens' satire in theUncommercial Traveller. Pere Goriot's death is unattended by his daughters, his funeral...well, no spoilers on that. Goriot gets some grand monologs, for sure.
Who but Balzac writes of a proud French General, "simple as a child," or of
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"professeur," essentially a prep school teacher, at "Collège de France, payé pour tenir a la hauteur de ses auditeurs " (56). He writes of youth, and its "contagion des sentiments."The wonderful, patheti ending features a French funeral--for which , see Dickens' satire in theUncommercial Traveller. Pere Goriot's death is unattended by his daughters, his funeral...well, no spoilers on that. Goriot gets some grand monologs, for sure.
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LibraryThing member BALE
A powerful character study of the driving force behind humanity: money. The almighty dollar defines and influences society and holds court over its moral choices. Balzac deftly illustrates the extent to which people will go to procure wealth, or at least the illusion of wealth, in 19th century
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Parisian society. A young man learns this painful truth as he is initiated into the adult world. “Golden chains are the heaviest of all fetters...Henceforth there is war between us.” This timeless message is repeated throughout Balzac’s work. Show Less
LibraryThing member baswood
Honoré de Balzac - [Le Père Goriot]
This is an amazing novel as Balzac uses Paris as a backdrop to paint a picture of a society; stratified, corrupt, amoral and money-obsessed: if this sounds like the Tory Government in England today then nothing has changed since 1819; the epoch of Le Père
The story concerns the inhabitants of a Parisian Boarding House: Maison Vaquer, and three boarders in particular. Eugene Rastignac: a medical student who shrugs off his studies when he realises that he can get ahead in society more easily, through a good marriage or as a lover of a wealthy socialite. Le Père Goriot an elderly retired business man who has fallen on hard times through his adoration of his two daughters; Delphine and Anastasia; he has obtained good marriages for them, but they see him as a continual source of revenue and he has been reduced to poverty. The third man is Vautrin a worldly wise man who tempts Rastignac into criminal activity, Vautrin is a mysterious character and there are suspicions around his activities. Rastignac has family connections that allow him an introduction to Parisian High Society, he meets Delphine who is unhappily married and is looking to escape from her husband. Meanwhile Vautrin is tempting Rastignac to make a play for Victorine, another boarder at Maison Vaquer; Victorine would receive a huge inheritence if her elder brother should die.
A feature of much nineteenth century literature is the careful and realistic descriptions of the setting for the story. Balzac spends twenty three pages at the very start of the novel detailing life in the Maison Vaquer. It is a fascinating experience to follow the authors eye around this mean, but bourgeoise residence. The story unfolds slowly as Rastignac escapes for brief moments following his route through society and learning what he must do to improve his position. Throughout the novel there are alternatively dense and lively passages to enjoy: the arrest of the master criminal "Trompe-le-Mort; the temptation of Rastignac into the schemes of Vautrin and finally the death of Père Goriot. There are few good characters in the novel with many of them having their eyes set on the main chance. The two daughters of Père Goriot seem particularly cruel, but this is hardly surprising considering that they are the property of the men they have married. An excellent read and a five star novel
This is an amazing novel as Balzac uses Paris as a backdrop to paint a picture of a society; stratified, corrupt, amoral and money-obsessed: if this sounds like the Tory Government in England today then nothing has changed since 1819; the epoch of Le Père
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Goriot. Balzac's novel was published in serial form in 1834 and was criticised at the time for its negative view of Paris and the Parisians. No doubt Balzac could have said that his novel was set in an earlier time when the monarchy had been re-established after the fall of Napoleon, but it has come to be recognised as a valid portrait of the human condition.The story concerns the inhabitants of a Parisian Boarding House: Maison Vaquer, and three boarders in particular. Eugene Rastignac: a medical student who shrugs off his studies when he realises that he can get ahead in society more easily, through a good marriage or as a lover of a wealthy socialite. Le Père Goriot an elderly retired business man who has fallen on hard times through his adoration of his two daughters; Delphine and Anastasia; he has obtained good marriages for them, but they see him as a continual source of revenue and he has been reduced to poverty. The third man is Vautrin a worldly wise man who tempts Rastignac into criminal activity, Vautrin is a mysterious character and there are suspicions around his activities. Rastignac has family connections that allow him an introduction to Parisian High Society, he meets Delphine who is unhappily married and is looking to escape from her husband. Meanwhile Vautrin is tempting Rastignac to make a play for Victorine, another boarder at Maison Vaquer; Victorine would receive a huge inheritence if her elder brother should die.
A feature of much nineteenth century literature is the careful and realistic descriptions of the setting for the story. Balzac spends twenty three pages at the very start of the novel detailing life in the Maison Vaquer. It is a fascinating experience to follow the authors eye around this mean, but bourgeoise residence. The story unfolds slowly as Rastignac escapes for brief moments following his route through society and learning what he must do to improve his position. Throughout the novel there are alternatively dense and lively passages to enjoy: the arrest of the master criminal "Trompe-le-Mort; the temptation of Rastignac into the schemes of Vautrin and finally the death of Père Goriot. There are few good characters in the novel with many of them having their eyes set on the main chance. The two daughters of Père Goriot seem particularly cruel, but this is hardly surprising considering that they are the property of the men they have married. An excellent read and a five star novel
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LibraryThing member P_S_Patrick
The plot of Old Goriot weaves together opposite ends of the Parisian social scale – the ballrooms and salons of the aristocracy, and a shabby but apparently respectable boarding house in a poor quarter of town. It is in this dreary and worn and wonderfully described old house that a variety of
As in many of Balzac's works, the story is driven in part by a character with a specific obsessive personality trait - in this case Old Father Goriot who is fixed on providing for his selfish daughters. Monsieur Rastignac however is an altogether more interesting and torn character in that he represents some of the better aspects of human nature, while having enough self interest that he can be led into shady schemes by those who are more cynical and less honourable than he. The fight between his sense of what is right, and the desire for personal advancement play out in this complicated character throughout the novel. Old Goriot is none the less a troubled being, though in his case this is due to his psychological complex over being a good father to his two heartless daughters. While I won't give the story away, there are several heart-wrenching scenes, and an ending that fits the story.
Taken all together, this is the best of Balzac's full length novels that I have read so far, and definitely more interesting and complete than either Eugene Grandet or the Village Rector for example.
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unlikely personalities are thrown together, including the two main characters Old Goriot and Eugene Rastingac. Along with the other residents these provide the excellent mix of humour, tragedy, comic mundanity, intrigue, and wealth of insights onto human psychology that make Balzac's novels so entertaining. We also see the vacuous world of materialism, greed, pleasure seeking, fashion, and social climbing, into which some of these characters variously dip their toes or plunge. As in many of Balzac's works, the story is driven in part by a character with a specific obsessive personality trait - in this case Old Father Goriot who is fixed on providing for his selfish daughters. Monsieur Rastignac however is an altogether more interesting and torn character in that he represents some of the better aspects of human nature, while having enough self interest that he can be led into shady schemes by those who are more cynical and less honourable than he. The fight between his sense of what is right, and the desire for personal advancement play out in this complicated character throughout the novel. Old Goriot is none the less a troubled being, though in his case this is due to his psychological complex over being a good father to his two heartless daughters. While I won't give the story away, there are several heart-wrenching scenes, and an ending that fits the story.
Taken all together, this is the best of Balzac's full length novels that I have read so far, and definitely more interesting and complete than either Eugene Grandet or the Village Rector for example.
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LibraryThing member bookworm87
"Pere Goriot" was a good book about the dangers of wealth. The old man is a once-wealthy tradesman with two beautiful but unhappily married daughters. Their frivolous spending habits cause Pere Goriot, who dearly loves his daughters, to give up his fortune and sell all of his valuables in order to
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pay their debts. The book also chronicles the struggles of Eugene Rastignac, who desires the life of the rich and famous Parisians that surround him. The book was a fast read--although it could have been more absorbing--and it taught a good lesson. Quite funny in parts! Show Less
LibraryThing member john257hopper
Have quickly given up on this - the story, such as it is, is not drawing me in.
LibraryThing member nee-nee
The story starts out by meeting Madame Vauquer, a poor but, more or less, respectable woman who runs the boarding house where we meet most of the characters in this novel. The boarding house is a horrible, dirty, little, place but reputable enough. It is here we meet Eugene Rastignac and the rest
The introduction to Madame de Beauseant is important for Eugene. He is invited to ball is accepted there and meets a beautiful woman, Madame la Comtess de Restaud. She is beautiful, rich and will serve his purpose quite well. On his first call to the Madame de Restaud he blunders unforgivably. He sees a fellow boarder leaving their house and questions if they happen to know "Old Goriot." As it turns out "Old Goriot" is Madame's father. This embarrasses everyone and as Eugene leaves Monsieur de Restaud tells the doorman not to let him in again.
From there Eugene goes to Madame de Beauseants and applies to her for help. How can he have a rich mistress if he has poor country habits? He asks her to teach him how to behave in society. She does this and helps him to find another potential mistress. Madame de Nucingen "Old Goriot's" other daughter. This works out well as Madame de Nucingen's last beau has just left her.
Eugene takes to seeing Madame de Nucingen very frequently and when he comes home he tells Goriot all about it. By this time Eugene has come to admire and respect Goriot. He finds out exactly what kind of women this mans daughters are and why he, Goriot, is in such poverty at Madame Vanquers. He gave them everything they ever wanted as children he has continued this in their adulthood. He ruins himself with his maniacal desire to pay their debts. Eugene remains more or less good at heart through this debacle. But instead of changing his mind he continues in his scheme.
I very much enjoyed this novel. The human natures described here are both appalling and engrossing. A great read and a quick one (275 pages.) Completely worthwhile.
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of the story pretty much follows him. A poor law student from the country, Eugene has seen enough of Paris to want more, more than a poor law student can achieve without assistance. He comes up with a plan to get a rich mistress who will help him to succeed in society. But as no Parisian woman would have him as he is, he writes home and borrows money from his family and asks an Aunt, who used to frequent Parisian society, for an introduction to anyone she thinks might aid him in this social climb. The family comes through with the money and a letter to a distant cousin Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauseant. The introduction to Madame de Beauseant is important for Eugene. He is invited to ball is accepted there and meets a beautiful woman, Madame la Comtess de Restaud. She is beautiful, rich and will serve his purpose quite well. On his first call to the Madame de Restaud he blunders unforgivably. He sees a fellow boarder leaving their house and questions if they happen to know "Old Goriot." As it turns out "Old Goriot" is Madame's father. This embarrasses everyone and as Eugene leaves Monsieur de Restaud tells the doorman not to let him in again.
From there Eugene goes to Madame de Beauseants and applies to her for help. How can he have a rich mistress if he has poor country habits? He asks her to teach him how to behave in society. She does this and helps him to find another potential mistress. Madame de Nucingen "Old Goriot's" other daughter. This works out well as Madame de Nucingen's last beau has just left her.
Eugene takes to seeing Madame de Nucingen very frequently and when he comes home he tells Goriot all about it. By this time Eugene has come to admire and respect Goriot. He finds out exactly what kind of women this mans daughters are and why he, Goriot, is in such poverty at Madame Vanquers. He gave them everything they ever wanted as children he has continued this in their adulthood. He ruins himself with his maniacal desire to pay their debts. Eugene remains more or less good at heart through this debacle. But instead of changing his mind he continues in his scheme.
I very much enjoyed this novel. The human natures described here are both appalling and engrossing. A great read and a quick one (275 pages.) Completely worthwhile.
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LibraryThing member libraryhermit
Growing up in an English environment, the main authors that I heard about in passing were Victor Hugo, Marcel Proust, Flaubert, and Dumas (although for years, if you asked me who wrote The Three Musketeers or The Count of Monte Cristo, I would have had no clue.)
As cultural awareness of things not
I was immediately curious about Balzac and why he did not seem to get much press in English speaking countries as Hugo or Proust.
Eventually I had a chance to read him because I took a few French courses here and there during Junior High School, and later by correspondence from Athabasca University. This gave me the opportunity to read French novels in the original, and I first went overboard with Victor Hugo, reading several of his novels.
Next, for Balzac, I discovered a multi-volume set in a University library, and I was hooked.
It intrigued me that his novels seemed to be of varied length, and did not fit into the pattern of more uniform thickness displayed by my Dickens books, for example.
As I moved away from the University library mentioned above, I decided to buy a bunch of paperback editions by Garnier, J´ai lu and Flammarion.
One interesting fact that I learned about Balzac is that he went on long writing binges fueled both by copious amounts of the strongest possible coffee and by the equally stimulating prod of the pressing debts for advances owed back to publishers from unfulfilled contracts for books.
Another interesting fact that I learned is that he would drive compositors and type-setters crazy by his almost illegible changes and additions to a very small handwritten manuscript page. I guess it is alright to want to change your manuscript--everybody does it--but at least start with a more generous amount of paper and start double or triple spaced so that people can read what you wrote without a magnifying glass and having to follow 8 different arrows around all the crossed out sections.
Anyway, something about the actual book now. I have read 3 of the other reviews posted for this book and was glad to do so. I actually read this book about 25 years ago, and have not gone back to it since. I would like to read a bunch more of his books--only have read about 7 or 8 so far--and reading those reviews brings back good memories.
I get a feeling a little bit similar to when reading Dickens, when I experience the constant thirst for money and a better station in life that the characters feel. Living in Canada, home of socialism since the first great fad of New-Deal and Keynesian economics, now being eroded by encroaching laissez-faire and every-man-for-himself capitalism, it is a treat to get another take on this theme of individual economic struggle from a French master.
One last comment; I love the review by Schmerguls. Great comments. After you have read enough 19th century literature, you end up thinking, what is it with all the money chasing. Is this all a caricature, or can we move on to another topic for a while? Yes, inheritance is important but it is not everything. But, yes, it is true, I would like to inherit a fortune if possible, I cannot deny it. Especially if I did not deserve, it would taste even sweeter. I think everyone in Dickens deserves the fortune that they inherit, but I cannot remember if the same is true in Balzac. Therefore, I will have to read more of him now.
I would like to read everything of Balzac. I wonder how many people have done this.
As cultural awareness of things not
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English gradually dawned on me in my teens and twenties, I eventually heard of Balzac and Zola and all of the other important French authors.I was immediately curious about Balzac and why he did not seem to get much press in English speaking countries as Hugo or Proust.
Eventually I had a chance to read him because I took a few French courses here and there during Junior High School, and later by correspondence from Athabasca University. This gave me the opportunity to read French novels in the original, and I first went overboard with Victor Hugo, reading several of his novels.
Next, for Balzac, I discovered a multi-volume set in a University library, and I was hooked.
It intrigued me that his novels seemed to be of varied length, and did not fit into the pattern of more uniform thickness displayed by my Dickens books, for example.
As I moved away from the University library mentioned above, I decided to buy a bunch of paperback editions by Garnier, J´ai lu and Flammarion.
One interesting fact that I learned about Balzac is that he went on long writing binges fueled both by copious amounts of the strongest possible coffee and by the equally stimulating prod of the pressing debts for advances owed back to publishers from unfulfilled contracts for books.
Another interesting fact that I learned is that he would drive compositors and type-setters crazy by his almost illegible changes and additions to a very small handwritten manuscript page. I guess it is alright to want to change your manuscript--everybody does it--but at least start with a more generous amount of paper and start double or triple spaced so that people can read what you wrote without a magnifying glass and having to follow 8 different arrows around all the crossed out sections.
Anyway, something about the actual book now. I have read 3 of the other reviews posted for this book and was glad to do so. I actually read this book about 25 years ago, and have not gone back to it since. I would like to read a bunch more of his books--only have read about 7 or 8 so far--and reading those reviews brings back good memories.
I get a feeling a little bit similar to when reading Dickens, when I experience the constant thirst for money and a better station in life that the characters feel. Living in Canada, home of socialism since the first great fad of New-Deal and Keynesian economics, now being eroded by encroaching laissez-faire and every-man-for-himself capitalism, it is a treat to get another take on this theme of individual economic struggle from a French master.
One last comment; I love the review by Schmerguls. Great comments. After you have read enough 19th century literature, you end up thinking, what is it with all the money chasing. Is this all a caricature, or can we move on to another topic for a while? Yes, inheritance is important but it is not everything. But, yes, it is true, I would like to inherit a fortune if possible, I cannot deny it. Especially if I did not deserve, it would taste even sweeter. I think everyone in Dickens deserves the fortune that they inherit, but I cannot remember if the same is true in Balzac. Therefore, I will have to read more of him now.
I would like to read everything of Balzac. I wonder how many people have done this.
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LibraryThing member reneeseinfeld
A very powerful book. It was appalling and painful to watch unfold. I found the whole rooming house "lifestyle" very intriguing and wondered what percentage of the paris population lived in rooming houses in the 1830's. How many situations in todays world put so many different people in the same
I'm not sure that Goirot, if given the ability to go back and start over, would have had the strength to truly do the things that would have created loving, genuine, and decent daughters. The book was very relevant to the issues of today; the constant pressures of financial appearance; wanting to raise decent and loving children; aging and the fear of being alone; the struggle of doing what is easy vs. doing what is right. I highly recommend this book.
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room to interact with each other? I'm not sure that Goirot, if given the ability to go back and start over, would have had the strength to truly do the things that would have created loving, genuine, and decent daughters. The book was very relevant to the issues of today; the constant pressures of financial appearance; wanting to raise decent and loving children; aging and the fear of being alone; the struggle of doing what is easy vs. doing what is right. I highly recommend this book.
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LibraryThing member DRFP
My first Balzac novel and I have to say he's far better than Flaubert at that this stage (having read Madame Bovary and Three Tales). Balzac may be extremely descriptive but he infuses everyone and everything with real heart - something I felt sorely lacking from Flaubert, who seems so mechanical
Maupassant would go on to do a lot better but this is still decent stuff.
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in his prose. Perhaps Balzac goes a little too far here - the melodrama is a somewhat overdone - but I found this an invigorating novel with some of Stendhal's sly, satirical humour.Maupassant would go on to do a lot better but this is still decent stuff.
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LibraryThing member Morddel
No one does the French like Balzac!
LibraryThing member hbergander
I do not know anyone, who read the complete ninety-novel-cycle «La Comédie Humaine », nor I would fritter away on it. Even in « Le père Goriot » I had problems, to find my way around the lots of figures animating this, however, fine piece of French literature.
LibraryThing member MrBobble
Sometimes slow. Sometimes confusing. But definitely interesting. I couldn't recall the name so that is not so good. But I searched for Death Dodger and found the book.
LibraryThing member nmhale
One of Balzac's books in La Comedie Humaine, a sprawling collection of interlinked novels meant to portray France at all levels of society. Pere Goriot is lauded as Balzac's finest novel, and central to the Comedie series. In the story, Eugene de Rastignac is a young law student, living at an
Goriot and Rastignac are both boarders at the Maison Vaquer. Rastignac is young and charming, and well liked. Goriot, on the other hand, is despised and mocked, through no fault of his own. The boarders have chosen him as the weak member of the house, encouraged by the landlady's disdain after Goriot turned her down, and the old man does nothing to defend himself. He is a mystery, and Eugene will be the one to uncover it. A distant cousin, Madame de Beauseant, happens to be one of the queens of Parisian society, and she invites Eugene de Rastignac to a dance at her house. Once there, Rastignac is smitten with the beautiful Comtesse de Restaud, and even pays her a visit at her home soon after. While waiting for her, he sees Goriot sharing a quiet moment with the lovely lady in a back corner of the house. At first, Eugene's visit is going well, although he is miffed to discover the Comtesse already has a lover, but when he mentions Goriot's name he is summarily pushed from the house. Baffled, he turns to his influential cousin for advice and support. She informs him that Mr. Goriot is the father of the Comtesse de Restaud, and further promises Eugene her assistance in breaking into the enchanting world he is just beginning to taste.
Through her help, Eugene learns about the back story of the Comtesse and Pere Goriot. Goriot was a wealthy tradesman, a vermicelli maker, and very in love with his wife and two daughters. When the former died, he transferred all his affections to his offspring, and loves them with an idolatrous zeal. He split the majority of his fortune in half to present them with sizable dowries that would tempt rich and powerful men, and allowed them to marry whoever they chose. His dreams of living with their new families were soon dashed. The girls followed their husband's examples, and were embarrassed to acknowledge their father in public. So he moved in to the Maison Vaquer, living off the smaller but respectable amount of money he kept for himself. However, even though his girls wanted him to keep his distance, it didn't stop them from coming to him for more money, usually in connection with their lovers. Eventually, they drained the small resources he had.
Eugene equips himself with this knowledge, and begins his campaign. His cousin suggested he should woo Madame Delphine de Nucingen, Goriot's other daughter, sister to the Comtesse de Restaud. Not only would it serve as revenge, since the two sisters are bitterly competitive with each other, it could be his stepping stone into society. Eugene follows her suggestion, despite a tempting offer from the Machiavellian Vautrin, and his fortunes begin to rise to his expectations. Sadly, even Eugene's empathy and connection to their father is not enough to move the daughters' out of their selfish preoccupations, and Goriot literally exhausts himself to death to please them. Only Eugene goes to his funeral.
I found this French novel extremely readable, especially as I was expecting a challenging time reading an old French classic. The introduction lingers on a minute description of the Maison Vaquer, before finally bringing its descriptive powers to the lodgers of the house and kicking off the plot. The beginning had me worried, as it was tedious, but once the story settled down with its characters, I was lost in the novel and read it far more quickly than I anticipated. The characters are fascinating, the novel deftly contrasts the glittering world of the rich and powerful with the drab world of hard work and poverty, and illuminates their surprising links and similarities. Balzac reveals the corruption that runs under the surface in both spheres of society, and also demonstrates how much more appalling it is for those upper classes that maintain an illusion of virtue and honor. Descriptive passages are devoted to the scenes of sumptuous life and the opening details of the impoverished Maison Vaquer, or physical descriptions, also related to societal status. The rest of the novel is comprised of dialogue and internal thoughts or feelings. The story flowed smoothly, and was engaging.
After reading this novel, I am certainly open to reading more in his Comedie Humaine series of books. The characters were complicated and compelling. Goriot's decline was truly sad, yet Eugene's rise offsets some of the bitterness. I was upset that Rastignac lost his lingering youthful idealism at the close of the novel, and yet his ambition became a battle, almost an act of vengeance for Goriot, which made it more palatable. The whole book is a series of contrasts, of balances, which is aesthetically pleasing. I know that Balzac is known for his use of recurring characters, and de Rastignac along with several others in this novel are among his most used. I will look for other books to feature these intriguing people when I choose my next Balzac book, because I am interested to see what happens to them. They are all complicated and flawed people, and that makes for good reading.
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impoverished but respectable boarding house. The novel details his introduction to the elite of Parisian society, his awakening ambition, and the start of his career. Intertwined with his story is the tragic history of Father Goriot, a man excluded from the same society Eugene seeks, even though Goriot sacrificed everything to introduce his daughters to the coveted world. Goriot and Rastignac are both boarders at the Maison Vaquer. Rastignac is young and charming, and well liked. Goriot, on the other hand, is despised and mocked, through no fault of his own. The boarders have chosen him as the weak member of the house, encouraged by the landlady's disdain after Goriot turned her down, and the old man does nothing to defend himself. He is a mystery, and Eugene will be the one to uncover it. A distant cousin, Madame de Beauseant, happens to be one of the queens of Parisian society, and she invites Eugene de Rastignac to a dance at her house. Once there, Rastignac is smitten with the beautiful Comtesse de Restaud, and even pays her a visit at her home soon after. While waiting for her, he sees Goriot sharing a quiet moment with the lovely lady in a back corner of the house. At first, Eugene's visit is going well, although he is miffed to discover the Comtesse already has a lover, but when he mentions Goriot's name he is summarily pushed from the house. Baffled, he turns to his influential cousin for advice and support. She informs him that Mr. Goriot is the father of the Comtesse de Restaud, and further promises Eugene her assistance in breaking into the enchanting world he is just beginning to taste.
Through her help, Eugene learns about the back story of the Comtesse and Pere Goriot. Goriot was a wealthy tradesman, a vermicelli maker, and very in love with his wife and two daughters. When the former died, he transferred all his affections to his offspring, and loves them with an idolatrous zeal. He split the majority of his fortune in half to present them with sizable dowries that would tempt rich and powerful men, and allowed them to marry whoever they chose. His dreams of living with their new families were soon dashed. The girls followed their husband's examples, and were embarrassed to acknowledge their father in public. So he moved in to the Maison Vaquer, living off the smaller but respectable amount of money he kept for himself. However, even though his girls wanted him to keep his distance, it didn't stop them from coming to him for more money, usually in connection with their lovers. Eventually, they drained the small resources he had.
Eugene equips himself with this knowledge, and begins his campaign. His cousin suggested he should woo Madame Delphine de Nucingen, Goriot's other daughter, sister to the Comtesse de Restaud. Not only would it serve as revenge, since the two sisters are bitterly competitive with each other, it could be his stepping stone into society. Eugene follows her suggestion, despite a tempting offer from the Machiavellian Vautrin, and his fortunes begin to rise to his expectations. Sadly, even Eugene's empathy and connection to their father is not enough to move the daughters' out of their selfish preoccupations, and Goriot literally exhausts himself to death to please them. Only Eugene goes to his funeral.
I found this French novel extremely readable, especially as I was expecting a challenging time reading an old French classic. The introduction lingers on a minute description of the Maison Vaquer, before finally bringing its descriptive powers to the lodgers of the house and kicking off the plot. The beginning had me worried, as it was tedious, but once the story settled down with its characters, I was lost in the novel and read it far more quickly than I anticipated. The characters are fascinating, the novel deftly contrasts the glittering world of the rich and powerful with the drab world of hard work and poverty, and illuminates their surprising links and similarities. Balzac reveals the corruption that runs under the surface in both spheres of society, and also demonstrates how much more appalling it is for those upper classes that maintain an illusion of virtue and honor. Descriptive passages are devoted to the scenes of sumptuous life and the opening details of the impoverished Maison Vaquer, or physical descriptions, also related to societal status. The rest of the novel is comprised of dialogue and internal thoughts or feelings. The story flowed smoothly, and was engaging.
After reading this novel, I am certainly open to reading more in his Comedie Humaine series of books. The characters were complicated and compelling. Goriot's decline was truly sad, yet Eugene's rise offsets some of the bitterness. I was upset that Rastignac lost his lingering youthful idealism at the close of the novel, and yet his ambition became a battle, almost an act of vengeance for Goriot, which made it more palatable. The whole book is a series of contrasts, of balances, which is aesthetically pleasing. I know that Balzac is known for his use of recurring characters, and de Rastignac along with several others in this novel are among his most used. I will look for other books to feature these intriguing people when I choose my next Balzac book, because I am interested to see what happens to them. They are all complicated and flawed people, and that makes for good reading.
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Subjects
Awards
The White Ravens (1997)
501 Must-Read Books (Emma Beare, 2006) (Classics)
Language
Original language
French
Original publication date
1835
1834-1835 (serial form)
Physical description
304 p.; 7.6 inches
ISBN
0140440178 / 9780140440171
Local notes
French title: Le Père Goriot (Le Pere Goriot)