Father Goriot by HonorĂ© de Balzac (books to read for beginners txt) đ
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Father Goriot, today considered one of Balzacâs most important works, is part of his novel sequence The Human Comedy. Itâs the first of Balzacâs novels to feature recurring characters, a technique that he famously developed in his subsequent novels.
Set in Paris during the Bourbon Restoration of the early 1800s, Father Goriot follows EugĂšne de Rastignac, a student born to noble roots but little means, as he tries to climb the social ladder in Paris. The impoverished Goriot is staying at the same boardinghouse as Rastignacâand Rastignac sees opportunity in Goriotâs richly-married and elegant daughters.
The novel has been widely praised for its realist portrayal of Parisian life of various social classes, and its deep influence on French literature is still felt today. While it had chapter breaks when it was initially serialized, Balzac removed them when compiling his definitive edition of The Human Comedy, a change that is preserved in this edition.
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- Author: Honoré de Balzac
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Delphine and EugĂšne looked at each other in amazement, tears sprang to their eyes. Rastignac held out his hand and grasped Goriotâs warmly.
âWell, what is all this about? Are you not my children?â
âOh! my poor father,â said Mme. de Nucingen, âhow did you do it?â
âAh! now you ask me. When I made up my mind to move him nearer to you, and saw you buying things as if they were wedding presents, I said to myself, âShe will never be able to pay for them.â The attorney says that those law proceedings will last quite six months before your husband can be made to disgorge your fortune. Well and good. I sold out my property in the funds that brought in thirteen hundred and fifty livres a year, and bought a safe annuity of twelve hundred francs a year for fifteen thousand francs. Then I paid your tradesmen out of the rest of the capital. As for me, children, I have a room upstairs for which I pay fifty crowns a year; I can live like a prince on two francs a day, and still have something left over. I shall not have to spend anything much on clothes, for I never wear anything out. This fortnight past I have been laughing in my sleeve, thinking to myself, âHow happy they are going to be!â andâ âwell, now, are you not happy?â
âOh papa! papa!â cried Mme. de Nucingen, springing to her father, who took her on his knee. She covered him with kisses, her fair hair brushed his cheek, her tears fell on the withered face that had grown so bright and radiant.
âDear father, what a father you are! No, there is not another father like you under the sun. If EugĂšne loved you before, what must he feel for you now?â
âWhy, children, why Delphinette!â cried Goriot, who had not felt his daughterâs heart beat against his breast for ten years, âdo you want me to die of joy? My poor heart will break! Come, Monsieur EugĂšne, we are quits already.â And the old man strained her to his breast with such fierce and passionate force that she cried out.
âOh! you are hurting me!â she said.
âI am hurting you!â He grew pale at the words. The pain expressed in his face seemed greater than it is given to humanity to know. The agony of this Christ of paternity can only be compared with the masterpieces of those princes of the palette who have left for us the record of their visions of an agony suffered for a whole world by the Saviour of men. Father Goriot pressed his lips very gently against the waist than his fingers had grasped too roughly.
âOh! no, no,â he cried. âI have not hurt you, have I?â and his smile seemed to repeat the question. âYou have hurt me with that cry just now.â âThe things cost rather more than that,â he said in her ear, with another gentle kiss, âbut I had to deceive him about it, or he would have been angry.â
EugĂšne sat dumb with amazement in the presence of this inexhaustible love; he gazed at Goriot, and his face betrayed the artless admiration which shapes the beliefs of youth.
âI will be worthy of all this,â he cried.
âOh! my EugĂšne, that is nobly said,â and Mme. de Nucingen kissed the law student on the forehead.
âHe gave up Mlle. Taillefer and her millions for you,â said Father Goriot. âYes, the little thing was in love with you, and now that her brother is dead she is as rich as Croesus.â
âOh! why did you tell her?â cried Rastignac.
âEugĂšne,â Delphine said in his ear, âI have one regret now this evening. Ah! how I will love you! and forever!â
âThis is the happiest day I have had since you two were married!â cried Goriot. âGod may send me any suffering, so long as I do not suffer through you, and I can still say, âIn this short month of February I had more happiness than other men have in their whole lives.ââ âLook at me, Fifine!â he said to his daughter. âShe is very beautiful, is she not? Tell me, now, have you seen many women with that pretty soft colorâ âthat little dimple of hers? No, I thought not. Ah, well, and but for me this lovely woman would never have been. And very soon happiness will make her a thousand times lovelier, happiness through you. I could give up my place in heaven to you, neighbor, if needs be, and go down to hell instead. Come, let us have dinner,â he added, scarcely knowing what he said, âeverything is ours.â
âPoor dear father!â
He rose and went over to her, and took her face in his hands, and set a kiss on the plaits of hair. âIf you only knew, little one, how happy you can make meâ âhow little it takes to make me happy! Will you come and see me sometimes? I shall be just above, so it is only a step. Promise me, say that you will!â
âYes, dear father.â
âSay it again.â
âYes, I will, my kind father.â
âHush! hush! I should make you say it a hundred times over if I followed my own wishes. Let us have dinner.â
The three behaved like children that evening, and Father Goriotâs spirits were certainly not the least wild. He lay at his daughterâs feet, kissed them, gazed into her eyes, rubbed his head against her dress; in short, no young lover could have been more extravagant or more tender.
âYou see!â Delphine said with a look at EugĂšne, âso long as my father is with us, he monopolizes me. He will be rather in the way sometimes.â
EugĂšne had himself already felt certain twinges of jealousy, and could not blame this speech that contained the germ
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