Pere Goriot and Eugenie Grandet INTERNATIONAL COLLECTORS LIBRARY SERIES by De Balzac, Honore - 1968

Garden City, New York, USA: International Collectors Library, 1968. Reprint Edition . Hardcover. Near Fine/No Jacket. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. INTERNATIONAL COLLECTORS LIBRARY SERIES, Translated by Ellen Marriage. Near Fine burgundy leatherette. Spine foot wear. Bookmark ribbon. Gilt titles and decoration. Gilt top. [n.d., circa 1968?], 8vo, [10], 3-516pp. "Le Père Goriot , (Old Goriot or Father Goriot) is an 1835 novel by French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850), included in the Scènes de la vie Parisienne section of his novel sequence La Comédie humaine. Set in Paris in 1819, it follows the intertwined lives of three characters: the elderly doting Goriot; a mysterious criminal-in-hiding named Vautrin; and a naive law student named Eugène de Rastignac. Originally published in serial form during the winter of 1834-35, Le Père Goriot is widely considered Balzac's most important novel. It marks the first serious use by the author of characters who had appeared in other books, a technique that distinguishes Balzac's fiction. The novel is also noted as an example of his realist style, using minute details to create character and subtext. The novel takes place during the Bourbon Restoration, which brought about profound changes in French society; the struggle of individuals to secure upper-class status is ubiquitous in the book. The city of Paris also impresses itself on the characters especially young Rastignac, who grew up in the provinces of southern France. Balzac analyzes, through Goriot and others, the nature of family and marriage, providing a pessimistic view of these institutions. The novel was released to mixed reviews. Some critics praised the author for his complex characters and attention to detail; others condemned him for his many depictions of corruption and greed. A favorite of Balzac's, the book quickly won widespread popularity and has often been adapted for film and the stage. It gave rise to the French expression "Rastignac", a social climber willing to use any means to better his situation. Eugénie Grandet is a 1833 novel by Honoré de Balzac about miserliness, and how it is bequeathed from the father to the daughter, Eugénie, through her unsatisfying love attachment with her cousin." Wikipedia