Balzac, Droll Stories

[Danik 2016]

In spite of being one of the great French realists, Balzac seems to have been little discussed of late.
Here is a link to his Droll Stories and an invitation to read them and discuss them.

http://www.fullbooks.com/Droll-Stories-Complete1.html

[YesNo]

Thanks for starting the thread, Danik! I think I will alternate reading some of these while reading Chekhov's stories.

[Danik 2016]

That´s going to be a study in realism. :)Perhaps I´ll do the same but first I´ll take a good look at these Balzac stories. I didn´t know anything about them.

[YesNo]

The three page introduction was funny.

[Danik 2016]

"Since laughter is a privilege granted to man alone, and he has sufficient causes for tears within his reach, without adding to them by books, I have considered it a thing most patriotic to publish a drachm of merriment for these times, when weariness falls like a fine rain, wetting us, soaking into us, and dissolving those ancient
customs which make the people to reap public amusement from the Republic."
Balzac, Prologue

[YesNo]

So far Balzac is more humorous than Chekhov whose humor is somewhat sarcastic, but I haven't read that much of either one yet.

[Danik 2016]

The story of Imperia is very funny, but I haven´t finished it yet.

[Danik 2016]

I read several of the first stories, some of them are linked.They mostly poke fun at the Catholic notion of virtue.