La Peau de chagrin by Balzac, Honoré de
French
Novel
7 chapters
90,321 words
1,664 views
Uploaded by daniel
Blurb (Provided by JAHayhurst)
"Fantasy and philosophy, symbolism and social history."
The imaginative breadth and the intellectual depth of The Wild Ass's Skin make is one of the greatest of Balzac's 'Etudes philosophiques". With its central symbol of the magic piece of shagreen, it expresses the peculiarly Balzacian idea of the human will and dramatizes with startling urgency the choice between ruthless self-gratification and asceticism, between vice and virtue, between dissipation and restraint. The symbolism is powerful but not overpowering: sheer psychology, superbly chiselled dialogue and the sheer energy of the descriptive passages - the gambling den, the orgy, the devastating finale - give The Wild Ass's Skin a compelling and forceful realism.
(Taken from "The Wild Ass's Skin", Honoré de Balzac [translated by Herbert J. Hunt], Penguin, London, 1977)
Dutch (0 entries)
Most active users
No users have made entries in Dutch.
Entries
No users have made entries in Dutch.
Most active project groups
No project groups are studying this text in Dutch.
English (0 entries)
Most active users
No users have made entries in English.
Entries
No users have made entries in English.
Most active project groups
No project groups are studying this text in English.
Finnish (0 entries)
Most active users
No users have made entries in Finnish.
Entries
No users have made entries in Finnish.
Most active project groups
No project groups are studying this text in Finnish.
French (0 entries)
Most active users
No users have made entries in French.
Entries
No users have made entries in French.
Most active project groups
No project groups are studying this text in French.
German (0 entries)
Most active users
No users have made entries in German.
Entries
No users have made entries in German.
Most active project groups
No project groups are studying this text in German.
Italian (0 entries)
Most active users
No users have made entries in Italian.
Entries
No users have made entries in Italian.
Most active project groups
No project groups are studying this text in Italian.
Portuguese (0 entries)
Most active users
No users have made entries in Portuguese.
Entries
No users have made entries in Portuguese.
Most active project groups
No project groups are studying this text in Portuguese.
Spanish (0 entries)
Most active users
No users have made entries in Spanish.
Entries
No users have made entries in Spanish.
Most active project groups
No project groups are studying this text in Spanish.