Among the many novels, plays, and short stories written by Balzac during his career, none represents the full blossoming of his literary genius better than

[

]. A cathartic tale of paternal love and youthful ambition, the framework of the novel was sketched out in an undated note in which Balzac mused on the cruel situation of “un brave homme – pension bourgeoise – 600 fr. de rente – S’étant dépouillé pour ses filles qui toutes deux ont 50 000 fr. de rente, mourant comme un chien” [“a decent man – middle-class boarding house – 600 francs in income – Having ruined himself for the sake of his daughters who both have an income of 50 000 francs, dying like a dog”] (Balzac, H. de, 1976-81, 3: 5; this and all subsequent translations are my own).…

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Citation: Watts, Andrew. "Père Goriot". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 August 2009 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=2971, accessed 27 November 2024.]