欧概巴尔扎克展示.docx

欧概巴尔扎克展示.docx

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欧概巴尔扎克展示

LePèreGoriot （Frenchpronunciation:

[ləpɛʁɡɔʁjo],OldGoriotorFatherGoriot）isan1835novelbyFrenchnovelistandplaywrightHonorédeBalzac（1799–1850）,includedin theScènesdelavieParisienne sectionofhisnovelsequence LaComédiehumaine.SetinParisin1819,itfollowstheintertwinedlivesofthreecharacters:

theelderlydotingGoriot;amysteriouscriminal-in-hidingnamedVautrin;andanaivelawstudentnamedEugènedeRastignac.

Originallypublishedinserialformduringthewinterof1834/35,LePèreGoriotiswidelyconsideredBalzac'smostimportantnovel.[1]Itmarksthefirstserioususebytheauthorofcharacterswhohadappearedinotherbooks,atechniquethatdistinguishesBalzac'sfiction.Thenovelisalsonotedasanexampleofhisrealiststyle,usingminutedetailstocreatecharacterandsubtext.

ThenoveltakesplaceduringtheBourbonRestoration,whichbroughtaboutprofoundchangesinFrenchsociety;thestruggleofindividualstosecureupper-classstatusisubiquitousinthebook.ThecityofParisalsoimpressesitselfonthecharacters–especiallyyoungRastignac,whogrewupintheprovincesofsouthernFrance.Balzacanalyzes,throughGoriotandothers,thenatureoffamilyandmarriage,providingapessimisticviewoftheseinstitutions.

Thenovelwasreleasedtomixedreviews.Somecriticspraisedtheauthorforhiscomplexcharactersandattentiontodetail;otherscondemnedhimforhismanydepictionsofcorruptionandgreed.AfavoriteofBalzac's,thebookquicklywonwidespreadpopularityandhasoftenbeenadaptedforfilmandthestage.ItgaverisetotheFrenchexpression"Rastignac",asocialclimberwillingtouseanymeanstobetterhissituation.

Background

Historicalbackground

LePèreGoriotbeginsinJune1819,followingNapoleon'sdefeatatWaterloo,aftertheHouseofBourbonhadbeenrestoredtothethroneofFrance.Atensionwasmountingbetweenthearistocracy–whichhadreturnedwithKingLouisXVIII–andthebourgeoisieproducedbytheIndustrialRevolution.[2]Duringthisera,Francesawatighteningofsocialstructures,withalowerclasssteepedinoverwhelmingpoverty.Byoneestimate,almostthree-quartersofParisiansdidnotmakethe500–600francsayearrequiredforaminimalstandardofliving.[3]Atthesametime,thisupheavalmadepossibleasocialmobilityunthinkableduringtheAncienRégimeofpreviouscenturies.Individualswillingtoadaptthemselvestotherulesofthisnewsocietycouldsometimesascendintoitsupperechelonsfrommodestbackgrounds,muchtothedistasteoftheestablishedwealthyclass.[4]

Literarybackground

WhenBalzacbeganwritingLePèreGoriotin1834,hehadpublishedseveraldozenbooks,includingastreamofpseudonymouslypublishedpotboilernovels.In1829hehadpublishedLesChouans,thefirstnoveltowhichhesignedhisownname;thiswasfollowedbyLouisLambert（1832）,LeColonelChabert（1832）,andLaPeaudechagrin（1831）.[5]Aroundthistime,BalzacbeganorganizinghisworkintoasequenceofnovelswhichheeventuallycalledLaComédiehumaine,dividedintosectionsrepresentingvariousaspectsoflifeinFranceduringtheearly19thcentury.[6]

OneoftheseaspectswhichfascinatedBalzacwasthelifeofcrime.Inthewinterof1828–29,aFrenchgrifter-turned-policemannamedEugèneFrançoisVidocqpublishedapairofmemoirs–sensationalizedduringtherevisionprocessbyhiseditors–recountinghiscriminalexploits.BalzacmetVidocqinApril1834,andusedhimasamodelforacharacternamedVautrinhewasplanningforanupcomingnovel.[7]

Writingandpublication

Inthesummerof1834Balzacbegantoworkonatragicstoryaboutafatherwhoisrejectedbyhisdaughters.Hisjournalrecordsseveralundatedlinesabouttheplot:

"SubjectofOldGoriot–Agoodman–middle-classlodging-house–600fr.income–havingstrippedhimselfbareforhisdaughterswhobothhave50,000fr.income–dyinglikeadog."[8]Hewrotethefirstdraftof LePèreGoriot infortyautumndays; itwaspublishedasaserialin theRevuedeParis betweenDecemberandFebruary.ItwasreleasedasanovelinMarch1835by thepublishinghouseofWerdet,whoalsopublishedthesecondeditioninMay.Amuch-revisedthirdeditionwaspublishedin1839byCharpentier.[9]Aswashiscustom,Balzacmadecopiousnotesandchangesonproofshereceivedfrompublishers,sothatthelatereditionsofhisnovelswereoftensignificantlydifferentfromtheearliest.Inthecaseof LePèreGoriot,hechangedanumberofthecharactersintopersonsfromothernovelshehadwritten,andaddednewparagraphsfilledwithdetail.[10]

ThecharacterEugènedeRastignachadappearedasanoldmaninBalzac'searlierphilosophicalfantasynovelLaPeaudechagrin.WhilewritingthefirstdraftofLePèreGoriot,Balzacnamedthecharacter"Massiac",thenabruptlydecidedtousethesamecharacterfromLaPeaudechagrin.Othercharacterswerechangedinasimilarfashion.Itwashisfirststructureduseofrecurringcharacters,apracticewhosedepthandrigorcametocharacterizehisnovels.[11]

In1843BalzacplacedLePèreGoriotinthesectionofLaComédiehumaineentitled"Scènesdelavieparisienne"（"ScenesoflifeinParis"）.Quicklythereafter,hereclassifiedit–duetoitsintensefocusontheprivatelivesofitscharacters–asoneofthe"Scènesdelavieprivée"（"Scenesofprivatelife"）.[12]Thesecategoriesandthenovelsinthemwerehisattempttocreateabodyofwork"depictingallsociety,sketchingitintheimmensityofitsturmoil".[13]AlthoughhehadpreparedonlyasmallpredecessorforLaComédiehumaine,entitledÉtudesdeMœurs,atthistime,Balzaccarefullyconsideredeachwork'splaceintheprojectandfrequentlyrearrangeditsstructure.[14]

[edit]Plotsummary

ThenovelopenswithanextendeddescriptionoftheMaisonVauquer,aboardinghouseinParis'rueNeuve-Sainte-Genevièvecoveredwithvines,ownedbythewidowMadameVauquer.TheresidentsincludethelawstudentEugènedeRastignac,amysteriousagitatornamedVautrin,andanelderlyretiredvermicelli-makernamedJean-JoachimGoriot.Theoldmanisridiculedfrequentlybytheotherboarders,whosoonlearnthathehasbankruptedhimselftosupporthistwowell-marrieddaughters.

Rastignac,whomovedtoParisfromthesouthofFrance,becomesattractedtotheupperclass.Hehasdifficultyfittingin,butistutoredbyhiscousin,MadamedeBeauséant,inthewaysofhighsociety.RastignacendearshimselftooneofGoriot'sdaughters,Delphine,afterextractingmoneyfromhisownalready-poorfamily.Vautrin,meanwhile,triestoconvinceRastignactopursueanunmarriedwomannamedVictorine,whosefamilyfortuneisblockedonlybyherbrother.HeofferstoclearthewayforRastignacbyhavingthebrotherkilledinaduel.

Rastignacrefusestogoalongwiththeplot,balkingattheideaofhavingsomeonekilledtoacquiretheirwealth,buthetakesnoteofVautrin'smachinations.Thisisalessonintheharshrealitiesofhighsociety.Beforelong,theboarderslearnthatpoliceareseekingVautrin,revealedtobeamastercriminalnicknamedTrompe-la-Mort（"CheaterofDeath"）.VautrinarrangesforafriendtokillVictorine'sbrother,inthemeantime,andiscapturedbythepolice.

Goriot,supportiveofRastignac'sinterestinhisdaughterandfuriouswithherhusband'styrannicalcontroloverher,findshimselfunabletohelp.Whenhisotherdaughter,Anastasie,informshimthatshehasbeensellingofffamilyjewelrytopayherlover'sdebts,theoldmanisovercomewithgriefathisownimpotenceandsuffersastroke.

NeitherDelphinenorAnastasiewillvisitGoriotasheliesonhisdeathbed,andbeforedyingheragesabouttheirdisrespecttowardhim.HisfuneralisattendedonlybyRastignac,aservantnamedChristophe,andtwopaidmourners.Goriot'sdaughters,ratherthanbeingpresentatthefuneral,sendtheiremptycoaches,eachbearingtheirfamilies'respectivecoatofarms.Aftertheshortceremony,RastignacturnstofaceParisasthelightsofeveningbegintoappear.HesetsouttodinewithDelphinedeNucingenanddeclarestothecity:

"Ànousdeux,maintenant!

"（"It'sbetweenyouandmenow!

"）

[edit]Style

Balzac'sstyleinLePèreGoriotisinfluencedbytheAmericannovelistJamesFenimoreCooperandScottishwriterWalterScott.InCooper'srepresentationsofNativeAmericans,Balzacsawahumanbarbarismthatsurvivedthroughattemptsatcivilization.Inaprefacetothesecondeditionin1835,BalzacwrotethatthetitlecharacterGoriot–whomadehisfortunesellingvermicelliduringatimeofwidespreadhunger–wasan"Illinoisoftheflourtrade"anda"Huronofthegrainmarket".[15]VautrinreferstoParisas"aforestoftheNewWorldwheretwentyvarietiesofsavagetribesclash"–anothersignofCooper'sinfluence.[16]

ScottwasalsoaprofoundinfluenceonBalzac,particularlyinhisuseofrealhistoricaleventsasthebackdropforhisnovels.AlthoughhistoryisnotcentraltoLePèreGoriot,thepost-Napoleoniceraservesasanimportantsetting,andBalzac'suseofmeticulousdetailreflectstheinfluenceofScott.[15]Inhis1842introductiontoLaComédiehumaine,BalzacpraisesScottasa"moderntroubadour"who"vivified[literature]withthespiritofthepast".[13]Atthesametime,BalzacaccusedtheScottishwriterofromanticizinghistory,andtriedtodistinguishhisownworkwithamorebalancedviewofhumannature.[15][17]

Althoughthenovelisoftenreferredtoas"amystery",[18]itisnotanexampleofwhodunitordetectivefiction.Instead,thecentralpuzzlesaretheoriginsofsufferingandthemotivationsofunusualbehavior.Charactersappearinfragments,withbriefscenesprovidingsmallcluesabouttheir