The Magic Skin eBook Honoré De Balzac Ellen Marriage
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The Magic Skin eBook Honoré De Balzac Ellen Marriage
Balzac provides a complex novel with an inevitable conclusion but arriving there is a fascinating journey. Possibly the most interesting fact regarding this book is its semi-autobiographical atmosphere considering that, similar to his protagonist, Raphael, Balzac too sat in a spartan garret for an extended period struggling with his creation. Although this is one of his first offerings to the public, it already epitomizes his genius, which sometimes, I admit, was more than I could manage without some effort. Particularly since issues discussed were, in come cases, current and not timeless. In addition, the ending to me appeared somewhat vague, particularly the epilogue which I understand may have not even been included in the original version of the novel, and there appears to be some controversy of the true author of those additional two pages. In an case, I would recommend this book simply for the absorbing subject matter, but the reader may be wondering at the culmination of the novel what really transpired to some of the characters.Product details
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The Magic Skin eBook Honoré De Balzac Ellen Marriage Reviews
It's a fine book, Balzac waxes more intellectual than in Lost Illusions. Poor rating for Bolen's reading of it, which is too fast and insists on doing dialog in a phony and often incomprehensible French accent - this often drags on for pages. Be sure to download the Marriage translation from or a public domain site to overcome gaps in listening to this reader.
La Peau de Chagrin, also known as The Magic Skin or The Wild Ass's Skin, is a novel by Honoré de Balzac. The story opens on a young man entering a gambling hall. His face is an advertisement for despair; he has clearly come here as a last resort. After gambling his last coin on the roulette table, and losing, he determines there's nothing left for him to do but throw himself into the Seine. Procrastinating his inevitable suicide, he wanders into the shop of an antiquities dealer. The dealer, smelling his desperation, offers him a unique item from his collection. It is a piece of leather, of unknown but ancient origin. The bearer of this unusual talisman has the power to see all his wishes granted, but each time a desire is gratified the skin shrinks a little, and along with it the life expectancy of its user. When the skin shrinks into nonexistence, the bearer will die. Partly out of disbelief and partly out of despondency, the young man, Raphaël de Valentin, accepts the responsibility and inextricably bonds his fate to the magic skin.
Throughout the novel Balzac displays a remarkably encyclopedic knowledge by venturing off into discussions of philosophy, politics, art, history, medicine, engineering, and physics. Unfortunately, these extraneous asides also distract from the main thrust of the story, leaving the reader disappointed at the squandering of its novel and ingenious premise. The book is bogged down by too many lengthy descriptive passages and topical tangents. When Valentin enters the antiquities shop, for example, Balzac lovingly describes each and every object in the room. Each sentence is a work of art, but after a half hour of reading such set decoration, the overall effect is exhausting. Next, a decadent banquet is rendered boring by the meticulous transcription of tedious and pointless conversations. Eventually Valentin decides to explain the circumstances that drove him to contemplate suicide. The result is a far too lengthy flashback consisting mostly of a man groveling at the feet of a woman who treats him like garbage. All the while the reader is wondering when the plot will return to the fascinating magic skin.
Thankfully the final third of the book is an improvement over the rest, as it finally concentrates on how Valentin will cope with the regrettable pact he has made with his talisman. Here the story takes some unexpected turns and creatively dabbles in the realms of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. Valentin need not express his wishes out loud like he's talking to a genie; even his subconscious desires take their toll on the shrinking patch of hide. He reacts by attempting to eliminate all hope and desire in an effort to prolong his existence. The Magic Skin is ultimately the story of one man's quest for happiness in life. He seeks satisfaction in love, riches, vice, intellect, idleness, isolation, and even drugs, all to no avail. Meanwhile his life fritters away inescapably. The magic scrap of leather embodies the conflict between the quality and the quantity of a human life, and the ravenous insatiability of man's materialistic and romantic desires.
At the time of its publication in 1831, The Magic Skin was a sensation, quickly selling out and bringing fame and fortune to its author. Today's readers, however, likely won't be as enthusiastic as their 19th-century counterparts, and will find this novel less accessible and appealing than many of Balzac's other writings. Although it contains some memorable scenes and has some powerful points to make, ultimately it wastes too much time on description and digression. Diehard Balzac fans may like this book, but it won't be their favorite. Casual readers who enjoyed Père Goriot or Lost Illusions will unfortunately find this novel more in keeping with esoteric works like Louis Lambert.
A classic every one should read
Received better than expected and in a timely manner.
A truly haunting and realistic fable of the effects of greed and how it literally shrinks the soul. This story could have been written by H.P. Lovecraft if he had possessed a cynical and philosophical view of humanity.
It is very easy to forget how great writing can be, if like me, you read a lot of contemporary novels. Balzac's sentences are like fine wines that you can read 100 times each, each time savoring the nuances of his words. If you love to read, you will immensely enjoy the master (Balzac) at his finest.
one of the great classics and an amusing read. it particularly shows up the odd blindness of a young men who dont notice a great beauty when she is not turned out by the finese couturiers but who falls madly in love when he sees his diamond in its proper setting. this was even odder as the young woman was madly in love with him. if heterosexual males only developed a good eye-they could have a real beauty before everyone else discovers her--sort of like a woman who marries a medical student before he had his medical degree. despite the somewhat dated fable -- balzac's observations on the money-power driven parisian elite would apply nicely to today's washington dc and its "chattering classes."
Balzac provides a complex novel with an inevitable conclusion but arriving there is a fascinating journey. Possibly the most interesting fact regarding this book is its semi-autobiographical atmosphere considering that, similar to his protagonist, Raphael, Balzac too sat in a spartan garret for an extended period struggling with his creation. Although this is one of his first offerings to the public, it already epitomizes his genius, which sometimes, I admit, was more than I could manage without some effort. Particularly since issues discussed were, in come cases, current and not timeless. In addition, the ending to me appeared somewhat vague, particularly the epilogue which I understand may have not even been included in the original version of the novel, and there appears to be some controversy of the true author of those additional two pages. In an case, I would recommend this book simply for the absorbing subject matter, but the reader may be wondering at the culmination of the novel what really transpired to some of the characters.
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