La Comédie humaine - Volume 12. Scènes de la vie parisienne et scènes de la vie…
"La Comédie humaine - Volume 12. Scènes de la vie parisienne et scènes de la vie…" by Honoré de Balzac is a collection of interrelated stories and scenes written in the mid-19th century. The work delves into the intricacies of Parisian society and human behavior, primarily focusing on characters navigating the complexities of ambition, crime, and morality. Notably, the narrative follows the characters Lucien de Rubempré and Jacques Collin, entwined in atumultuous legal drama that vividly portrays the city's social fabric. At the start of this volume, two prisoners, Jacques Collin and Lucien de Rubempré, are being transported to the Conciergerie by the infamous "panier à salade," a vehicle used for prisoner transfer in Paris. The narrative introduces the contrast between the two men: Lucien, once at the height of social success, now hiding from public scrutiny, and Collin, known for his cunning manipulation of the criminal justice system. As they make their way through the city, the author provides detailed commentary on the workings of the French legal system and society's perceptions of justice, setting the stage for the unfolding drama surrounding their criminal charges and personal entanglements. The opening establishes an atmosphere of intrigue and foreshadows the central conflict that will drive the plot forward. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
Scènes de la vie parisienne: Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes (troisième partie: Où mènent les mauvais chemins). Un prince de la Bohème. Une esquisse d'homme d'affaires d'après nature. Gaudissart II. Les comédiens sans le savoir -- Scènes de la vie politique: Un épisode sous la Terreur. Une ténébreuse affaire. Z. Marcas. L'envers de l'histoire contemporaine (premier épisode). Le député d'Arcis. Lettres édifiantes.
Credits
Claudine Corbasson, Hans Pieterse and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries)