by Honoré de Balzac
IntroductionNote on the TextTranslator's NoteSelect BibliographyA Chronology of Honoré de BalzacMap: Paris in 1830--The Wild Ass's SkinAppendix: Balzac's Preface to the First Edition, August 1831Explanatory Notes
While it’s certainly more sensational and attention getting, I don’t like this literal translation of the title of Balzac’s novel. The original title of the book is Le Peau de Chagrin. When considering the title in French, “chagrin” has both a literal and figurative connotation, which supports the s...
Raphael enters a gaming house and loses the last of his money. He decides to drown himself in the Seine. As he waits for the crowds to leave the evening streets, he wanders into an antique shop, where he tells the shop keeper that he is going to kill himself and the man shows him a mysterious-lookin...