Because of his father's circumstances Balzac was at an early age placed
in a law office; this work was especially irksome to him, and he soon
went over to literature. For a long time he suffered hardships from want
of money, which seems to have strongly colored much of his work. In 1850
he married a wealthy Polish lady, Madame Hanska, but he never was able
to enjoy the life of ease to which he had been looking forward for many
years; his death occurred a few months after his marriage. Balzac's
chief work is to be found in his _Comédie Humaine_, a collection of
stones filling some forty volumes. It is divided into: _(1) Scènes de
la Vie Privée, (2) Scènes de la Vie de Province, (3) Scènes de la
Vie Parisienne, (4) Scènes de la Vie Politique, (5) Scènes de la Vie
Militaire, (6) Scènes de la Vie de Campagne, (7) Études Philosophiques,
(8) Études Analytiques_. These novels are often connected by the
reappearance of certain characters, and especially by the analysis of
character which is always intimately connected with Balzac's name. Of
a robust, exuberant and vulgar nature, his style is poor; he lacked an
artistic sense and he was without poetic genius. He was unable to depict
a gentleman or a lady; but he excelled in the analysis of character,
especially among the middle and lower classes, and in the descriptions
of their surroundings; it is thus that he stands at the head of the
Realists.
Important works: To the _Comédie Humaine_ (1829-1850) above mentioned
should be added the _Contes Drolatiques_ (in which he imitates the
style and the language of the sixteenth century) and several volumes
of _Contes_. In the _Comédie Humaine_ the following volumes should be
especially mentioned: _Le Père Goriot_, _Le Colonel Chabert_, _Le Lys
dans la Vallée_, _Ursule Mirouet_, _Eugénie Grandet_, _Le Curé de Tours,
Illusions Perdues, César Birotteau, Les Paysans, Le Curé de Village_.
_Un Drame au Bord de la Mer_ (written in 1834) is taken from the _Études
Philosophiques_ (published in 1835)
Edltlon: Calmann Lévy, in 24 vols. and in 45 vols. (his works have been
published in several other editions).