Subjects
Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850). Père Goriot -- Criticism and interpretation, Space in literature, Social status in literature, Paris (France) -- Social life and customs -- 19th century
Abstract
This piece has attempted to select a key passage in Père Goriot, and identify textual elements in order to create a taxonomy which reveals patterns from which possibilities of meaning stem. Balzac creates this scene as a condemnation of the current state of the aristocracy, as well as the greed and ambition of the middle class which further corrupts the values and integrity of the ruling class. This essay uses textual explication to analyze the descriptions, and diction used in the chosen passage to explicate a larger meaning in the novel, as well as offering a new understanding of the text and how it relates to Paris in the nineteenth century.
DOI
10.15760/anthos.2020.9.1.5
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.
Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/32839
Recommended Citation
Peters, Nicholas C.
(2020)
"The Velvet Glove: Virtuousness and Class in Balzac’s Paris,"
Anthós:
Vol. 9:
Iss.
1, Article 5.
https://doi.org/10.15760/anthos.2020.9.1.5
