Author: Honoré de Balzac
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Format: Paperback
Pages: 288
Genre: Novel
Balzac is concerned with the choice between ruthless self-gratification and asceticism, dissipation and restraint, in a novel that is powerful in its symbolism and realistic depiction of decadence.
The plot focuses around Raphael, a depressed man who acquires a talisman that will grant your wishes. The catch is everytime you make a wish, the talisman diminishes, as does your health. The book is divided up almost into three seperate parts. The first deals with Raphael going to an elegant diner with colleagues followed by an orgy. The second part is cloddish and long as it discusse Raphael's romance towards Foedora. She is a sly temptress who really comes across as an uncompelling ice queen. The third part features the books most touching moments and also its most wonderful imagery. This is where Raphael flees to the country and ponders his existence.
ISBN: 9780140443301
