Honoré de Balzac, Père Goriot [Old Goriot]

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 1834

Places

France (Country of Origin)

Genres and Modes

Novel

Resources

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 Le Père Goriot [Old Goriot]. 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 …

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3449 words

Citation: Watts, Andrew. "Père Goriot". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 04 August 2009 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=2971, accessed 24 November 2024.]

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