Piqued by Tom Wolfe's descriptions of the literary devices adopted by the so-called "New Journalists" of the 1960s, I've just finished two novels by Honoré de Balzac, the French novelist identified as one of the pioneers of literary realism. Wolfe focuses on Balzac's use of status details, one of the four devices.
The first, Le Père Goriot (or Father Goriot) took a bit of patience, beginning as it does with a meticulously rendered description of a somewhat down-at-the-heels boarding house, an opening at odds with today's dictum to begin with action. But once inside Balzac's world, I've found it hard to resist. That held true for Cousin Bette, the Balzac novel I finished last night.
What I find most surprising is that there's a pile of contemporary novels by my bedside, books I've begun and cast aside. Perhaps I need to give them the same patience Balzac inititally demanded. But I can't help but wonder what it is about Balzac's storytelling qualities that make his work irresistible more than 150 years after his death.
Today I ordered used copies of three other Balzac novels: Lost Illusions, A Harlot High and Low, and Eugenie Grandet.
Got a favorite Balzac novel or story? Let me know what it is and why?
Such a good writing, or by I saw for the first time. I'm quite happy, you are a good writer
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