Honoré de Balzac, La Rabouilleuse [The Black Sheep]

Andrew Watts (University of Birmingham)

Ed. by Tim Unwin, University of Bristol
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.05: French Writing and Culture: The Nineteenth-Century , 1800-1900.
Vol. editors: Edward Forman (University of Bristol), Nigel Harkness (University of Newcastle upon Tyne), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), David Williams (University of Sheffield), Jennifer Yee (University of Oxford)

Dates

First circulation or publication 1842

Places

France (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

Written between 1840 and 1842, La Rabouilleuse captures Balzac in full maturity, reflecting both his ambition to serve as the “secretary” (Balzac, H. de, 1976-81, 1: 11) of nineteenth-century French society, and his instinctive enthusiasm for stories of domestic turmoil, frustrated talent, and monetary greed. The novel was first mentioned in Balzac's notes and correspondence in 1839, under the titles Le Bonhomme Piedefer [Old Man Piedefer] and Le Bonhomme Rouget [Old Man Rouget]. Focussing on the tribulations of a provincial bachelor, it was intended to complete a trilogy of works entitled Les Célibataires<…

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3066 words

Citation: Watts, Andrew. "La Rabouilleuse". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 05 April 2008 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=21922, accessed 03 May 2024.]

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