Apologies for the light blogging of late. I'm knee-deep in The Human Comedy. A short book it is not.
But I've settled on the NYRB edition, which includes nine or ten stories from the larger - and much longer - original. So far, I've enjoyed it, though I must admit it's not easy reading. Or rather, it's reading that requires unusual patience. Once you're in the rhythm of it, things are all right: but until then, it's stop and start, a search for that narrative inlet.
The more I read, however, the more I've come to appreciate Balzac. For me, The Human Comedy is less about the stories and far more about Balzac's ability to tell them (which is a theme echoed in Brooks's introduction). In that sense, the book's reminded me a bit of The Decameron: the stories are great, but it's the writer's approach to story telling itself that's so unusual. And you can tell: Balzac was having fun with these stories, even the darker ones.
Anyway, more to come. I'm trudging on!
Whenever I think of Balzac, I think of Meredith Wilson's The Music Man. Ponder that connection.
ReplyDeleteI'm digging deep!
ReplyDeleteOne old biddy character in the small town complains about the ways in which the youth are being corrupted by "modern" culture and attitudes from outside the community, and adding to a list of questionable and corrupting books being read by young people, she snarls, "Balzac!" End the digging!
ReplyDeleteHa! Nice.
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