BALZAC ET LA SYMBOLIQUE DE LA PEAU DE CHAGRIN

Authors

  • Michel Brix
Keywords: Balzac, La Peau de chagrin, relato fantástico, juventud eterna, muerte

Abstract

Of all of Balzac’s works, The Wild-Ass’s Skin is one of the most mysterious. We do not know, for example, whether or not this novel should be considered a narrative of the fantastic. The difficulties of interpretation are linked both to the nature and role of the talisman that gives the novel its title: what is the wild-ass’s skin? This study seeks to show that Balzac’s novel is indeed a narrative of the fantastic. Moreover, as in fairytales, The Wild-Ass’s Skin delivers a moral lesson which is intended to be universal: Raphaël, the hero, refuses to grow old and discovers, at his expense, that old age is opportune, as it makes the approach of death bearable; without old age, death remains scandalous and frightful until the bitter end.

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Author Biography

Michel Brix

Université de Namur
How to Cite
Brix, M. (2006). BALZAC ET LA SYMBOLIQUE DE LA PEAU DE CHAGRIN. Anales de Filología Francesa, 14, 53–68. Retrieved from https://revistas.um.es/analesff/article/view/20861