| Author |
Balzac, Honoré de, 1799-1850 |
| Translator |
Wormeley, Katharine Prescott, 1830-1908 |
| Title |
Eugenie Grandet
|
| Note |
Reading ease score: 78.0 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read.
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| Credits |
Produced by John Bickers, and Dagny, and David Widger
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| Summary |
"Eugenie Grandet" by Honoré de Balzac is a novel written during the early 19th century, which explores themes of wealth, avarice, and familial duty in a provincial French town. The story centers around the character of Monsieur Grandet, a wealthy and miserly wine-grower, and his only daughter, Eugenie, whose life is shaped by her father's overwhelming greed and ambitions. At the start of the novel, Balzac paints a vivid picture of the somber and stagnant life in Saumur, contrasting its bleak provinciality with the richness of its history. Monsieur Grandet’s character is introduced as a former cooper who has amassed a considerable fortune through cunning agricultural investments. His life is marked by a strict regime and a profound disdain for extravagance, which extends to the treatment of his wife and daughter. The opening chapters set the stage for a narrative steeped in social dynamics and ambitions, as different local families vie for Eugenie's hand in marriage, each motivated by her father's wealth. This initial glimpse into Grandet's household introduces a mix of familial tension and societal expectations, hinting that the arrival of Eugenie's cousin Charles will further complicate their lives and relationships. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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| Language |
English |
| LoC Class |
PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
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| Subject |
Fathers and daughters -- Fiction
|
| Subject |
Misers -- Fiction
|
| Subject |
France -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction
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| Subject |
French fiction -- Translations into English
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| Category |
Text |
| EBook-No. |
1715 |
| Release Date |
Sep 18, 2004 |
| Most Recently Updated |
Jan 27, 2021 |
| Copyright Status |
Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads |
751 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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