O pai Goriot

De Honoré de Balzac e Celina Portocarrero

O velho Goriot, um ex-comerciante que já foi muito rico, é um dos locatários da pensão Vauquer – estabelecimento parisiense de gosto duvidoso. Agora, porém, ele não passa de uma sombra da antiga opulência. Ele afirma ser pai de duas distintas damas que o visitam de vez em quando, às escondidas, o que faz com que todos os moradores da pensão o ridicularizem. O único a crer no que diz Goriot é o estudante de Direito Eugène Rastignac, jovem ambicioso que sonha em conquistar Paris. "O pai Goriot", publicado em 1835, é um dos pilares de "A comédia humana". Nesta obra, Honoré de Balzac desnuda uma sociedade fascinada por poder e dinheiro, binômio que atropela ilusões e destrói famílias.

• Idioma: Português
• Editora: L&PM Pocket
• Data de lançamento: 1 de ago. de 2006
• ISBN: 9788525435651

Honoré de Balzac

Honoré de Balzac (Tours, 1799-París, 1850), el novelista francés más relevante de la primera mitad del siglo XIX y uno de los grandes escritores de todos los tiempos, fue autor de una portentosa y vasta obra literaria, cuyo núcleo central, la Comedia humana, a la que pertenece Eugenia Grandet, no tiene parangón en ninguna otra época anterior o posterior.

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Apresentação

A comédia humana

Ivan Pinheiro Machado

A comédia humana é o título geral que dá unidade à obra máxima de Honoré de Balzac e é composta de 89 romances, novelas e histórias curtas.¹ Este enorme painel do século XIX foi ordenado pelo autor em três partes: Estudos de costumes, Estudos analíticos e Estudos filosóficos. A maior das partes, Estudos de costumes, com 66 títulos, subdivide-se em seis séries temáticas: Cenas da vida privada, Cenas da vida provinciana, Cenas da vida parisiense, Cenas da vida política, Cenas da vida militar e Cenas da vida rural.

Trata-se de um monumental conjunto de histórias, considerado de forma unânime uma das mais importantes realizações da literatura mundial de todos os tempos. Cerca de 2,5 mil personagens se movimentam pelos vá­rios livros de A comédia humana, ora como pro­tagonistas, ora como coadjuvantes. Genial observador do seu tempo, Balzac soube como ninguém captar o es­pírito do século XIX. A França, os franceses e a Europa no período entre a Revolução Francesa e a Restauração têm nele um pintor magnífico e preciso. Friedrich Engels, numa carta a Karl Marx, disse: Aprendi mais em Balzac sobre a so­ciedade francesa da primeira metade do século, inclusive nos seus pormenores econômicos (por exemplo, a redistribuição da propriedade real e pessoal depois da Revolução), do que em todos os livros dos historia­do­res, economistas e estatísticos da época, todos juntos.

Clássicos absolutos da literatura mundial como Ilusões perdidas, Eugénie Grandet, O lírio do vale, O pai Goriot, Ferragus, Beatriz, A vendeta, Um episódio do terror, A pele de onagro, Mulher de trinta anos, A fisiologia do casamento, entre tantos outros, combinam-se com dezenas de his­tó­rias nem tão célebres, mas nem por isso menos delicio­sas ou reveladoras. Tido como o inventor do romance mo­derno, Balzac deu tal dimensão aos seus personagens que já no século XIX mereceu do crítico literário e historiador francês Hippolyte Taine a seguinte observação: Como William Shakespeare, Balzac é o maior repositório de documentos que possuímos sobre a natureza humana.

Balzac nasceu em Tours em 20 de maio de 1799. Com dezenove anos convenceu sua família – de modestos recur­sos – a sustentá-lo em Paris na tentativa de tornar-se um grande escritor. Obcecado pela ideia da glória literária e da fortuna, foi para a capital francesa em busca de periódicos e editoras que se dispusessem a publicar suas his­tórias – num momento em que Paris se preparava para a época de ouro do romance-folhetim, fervilhando em meio à proliferação de jornais e revistas. Consciente da necessi­dade do aprendizado e da sua própria falta de expe­riência e técnica, começou publicando sob pseudônimos e­xóticos, como Lord R’hoone e Horace de Saint-Aubin. Escrevia histórias de aventuras, romances policia­lescos, açucarados, folhetins baratos, qualquer coisa que lhe desse o sustento. Obstinado com seu futuro, evitava usar o seu verdadeiro nome para dar autoria a obras que considerava (e de fato eram) menores. Em 1829, lançou o primeiro livro a ostentar seu nome na capa – A Bretanha em 1800 –, um ro­mance histórico em que tentava seguir o estilo de Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832), o grande romancista escocês autor de romances históricos clássicos, como Ivanhoé. Nesse momento, Balzac sente que começou um grande projeto literário e lança-se fervorosamente na sua execução.

Paralelamente à enorme produção que detona a partir de 1830, seus delírios de grandeza levam-no a bolar negócios que vão desde gráficas e revistas até minas de prata. Mas fracassa como homem de negócios. Falido e endividado, reage criando obras-primas para pagar seus credores numa destrutiva jornada de trabalho de até dezoito horas diárias. Durmo às seis da tarde e acordo à meia-noite, às vezes passo 48 horas sem dormir..., queixava-se em cartas aos amigos. Nesse ritmo alucinante, ele produziu alguns de seus livros mais conhecidos e despon­tou para a fama e para a glória. Em 1833, teve a antevisão do conjunto de sua obra e passou a formar uma grande sociedade, com famílias, cortesãs, nobres, burgueses, notários, personagens de bom ou mau-caráter, vigaristas, camponeses, homens honrados, avarentos, enfim, uma enorme galeria de tipos que se cru­zariam em várias histórias diferentes sob o título geral de A comédia humana. Convicto da importância que representava a ideia de unidade para todos os seus romances, escreveu à sua irmã, comemorando: Saudai-me, pois estou seriamente na iminên­cia de tornar-me um gênio. Vale ressaltar que nesta imensa galeria de tipos, Balzac criou um espetacular conjunto de personagens femininos que – como dizem unanimemente seus biógrafos e críticos – tem uma di­mensão muito maior do que o conjunto dos seus personagens masculinos.

Aos 47 anos, massacrado pelo trabalho, pela péssima alimentação e pelo tormento das dívidas que não o abando­naram pela vida inteira, ainda que com projetos e esboços para pelo menos mais vinte romances, já não escrevia mais. Consagrado e reconhecido como um grande escritor, havia construído em frenéticos dezoito anos este monumento com quase uma centena de livros. Morreu em 18 de agosto de 1850, aos 51 anos, pouco depois de ter casado com a condessa polonesa Ève Hanska, o grande amor da sua vida. O exímio intelectual Paulo Rónai (1907-1992), escri­tor, tradutor, crítico e coordenador da publicação de A comédia humana no Brasil, nas décadas de 1940 e 1950, escreveu em seu ensaio biográfico A vida de Balzac: Acabamos por ter a impressão de haver nele um velho conhecido, quase que um membro da família – e ao mesmo tempo compreen­demos cada vez menos seu talento, esta monstruosidade que o diferencia dos outros homens.²

A verdade é que a obra de Balzac sobreviveu ao autor, às suas idiossincrasias, vaidades, aos seus desastres financeiros e amorosos. Sua mente prodigiosa concebeu um mundo muito maior do que os seus contemporâneos alcançavam. E sua obra projetou-se no tempo como um dos momentos mais preciosos da li­teratura universal. Se Balzac nascesse de novo dois séculos depois, ele veria que o úl­timo parágrafo do seu prefácio para A comédia huma­na³, longe de ser um exercício de vaidade, era uma profecia:

A imensidão de um projeto que abarca a um só tempo a história e a crítica social, a análise de seus males e a discussão de seus princípios autoriza-me, creio, a dar à minha obra o título que ela tem hoje: A comédia humana. É ambicioso? É justo? É o que, uma vez terminada a obra, o público decidirá.

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1. A ideia de Balzac era que A comédia humana tivesse 137 títulos, segundo seu Catálogo do que conterá A comédia humana, de 1845. Deixou de fora, de sua autoria, apenas Les cent contes drolatiques, vários ensaios e artigos, além de muitas peças ficcionais sob pseudônimo e esboços que não foram concluídos. (N.E.)

2. RÓNAI, Paulo. A vida de Balzac. In: BALZAC, Honoré de. A comédia humana. Vol. 1. Porto Alegre: Globo, 1940. Rónai coordenou, prefaciou e executou as notas de todos os volumes publicados pela Editora Globo. (N.E.)

3. Publicado na íntegra em Estudos de mulher, volume 508 da Coleção L&PM Pocket. (N.E.)

Introdução

Ouro e prazer

"Jacques Collin (nome verdadeiro de Vautrin) e sua horrível influência são a coluna vertebral que liga O pai Goriot a Ilusões perdidas e Ilusões perdidas a Esplendores e misérias das cortesãs."

Honoré de Balzac

Na pensão da senhora Vauquer reúnem-se perdedores, pessoas de vida inconfessável e misteriosa – como o cínico Vautrin –, jovens candidatos à glória ou ao fracasso, enfim, alguns representantes da vasta classe média que passa a se formar na França no início do século XIX. São aposentados, funcionários públicos, comerciantes que com a revolução francesa rompem com o odioso estigma da servidão e passam a ter um futuro, coisa que até rolar a cabeça de Luis XVI na guilhotina em 1793, quatro anos depois da queda da Bastilha, era um privilégio dos nobres e aristocratas. Mas afora o estudante de medicina Horace Bianchon, o jovem provinciano Eugène de Rastignac e o misterioso Vautrin, ninguém tem futuro naquele lugar insalubre de aluguel barato. Muito menos o pai Goriot, tratado como um idiota pelos seus colegas de pensão, mas que ganha a terna condescendência do jovem Rastignac. Este jovem ambicioso e generoso vai se tornar um dos personagens favoritos de Balzac, surgindo em vários romances ao lado de Henri de Marsay, Luciano de Rubempré, todos belos, brilhantes e capazes de (quase) tudo para usufruir do ouro e do prazer que Paris oferece a uma casta de iluminados.

O pai Goriot enriqueceu durante a revolução francesa comprando trigo e vendendo por dez vezes mais. Humilde (mas esperto), aproveitou-se dos tempos conturbados. Viúvo precocemente, Goriot criou suas duas filhas, Delphine e Anastasie, dedicando a elas sua alma e sua energia, cobrindo-as de luxo. Enquanto o pai trabalhava de sol a sol, as moças desfilavam no Faubourg Saint-Germain, o bairro exclusivo da aristocracia, onde, por sua beleza, conquistaram um barão e um banqueiro, entrando para esse fechado círculo como condessa de Restaud e baronesa de Nucingen. Mas aquele pai ignorante, com aspecto de operário envelhecido, por mais que as ame, é um detalhe do passado que incomoda as jovens emergentes. Tanto o barão de Nucingen como o conde de Restaud só toleraram o velho enquanto ele teve dinheiro. Ao aposentar-se, o dinheiro minguou, e ele se tornou apenas uma lembrança ruim da origem das moças, que, para evitar os mexericos parisienses, esconderam o pai.

Como fizera em seu romance A vendeta – um Romeu e Julieta balzaquiano –, em O pai Goriot ele buscou também uma clara inspiração shakespeariana no rei Lear e seu drama com as filhas.

O pai Goriot é a história do impressionante e obsessivo amor de um pai por suas filhas. Para enfatizar a sua contundente crítica à sociedade de então, o autor contrapõe esse amor à indiferença das moças. O amor ao pai burguês (falido) não valia o sacrifício das filhas de serem alijadas da sociedade aristocrática. Mais uma vez a insaciável busca por ouro e prazer. Este binômio irresistível, que segundo Balzac era o começo e o fim de tudo. Capaz de atropelar os amores e destruir famílias.

Eufórico com a ideia de fazer uma monumental comé­dia humana que seria o conjunto de toda a sua obra, unificada pelo fato de formar um poderoso retrato da sua época, Balzac inaugura com O pai Goriot o genial estrata­ge­ma de promover a volta de personagens em seus romances. A duquesa de Langeais, formosa dama que é protagonista do romance A duquesa de Langeais, é amiga e confidente da prima de Eugène Rastignac (que aparece em uma dezena de romances), a baronesa de Beauséant que, por sua vez, será a protagonista de A mulher abandonada. O cínico, enigmático e diabólico Vautrin volta em Ilusões perdidas, Esplendores e misérias das cortesãs e Contrato de casamento. Delphine e Anastasie, as filhas de Goriot, frequentam uma dúzia de romances, assim como Henri de Marsay, o irresistível canalha, protagonista de A menina dos olhos de ouro, é personagem de vários romances e um dos personagens favoritos de Balzac.

Este recurso cria um clima mágico para o leitor de A comédia humana, que verá os personagens, como velhos conhecidos, indo e vindo no espaço e no tempo.

O pai Goriot, Ilusões perdidas e Esplendores e misérias das cortesãs formam praticamente um livro só. Poderoso, imenso (quase 1.500 páginas), este conjunto de romances autônomos formam um verdadeiro guerra e paz da sociedade francesa da primeira metade do século XIX. O próprio Balzac, em Esplendores (...), reconhece isto. Ao fim deste vasto e inesquecível périplo literário tem-se a clara e definitiva noção do gênio de Balzac. Os fundamentos de A comédia humana lá estão. A incrível universalidade da obra balzaquiana faz com que seja admirado pelo mundo todo. Mesmo quando vivo, já era o escritor francês mais lido na Europa. Seu retrato da sociedade francesa é, num plano muito mais profundo, um mergulho na alma humana. Balzac, muito mais do que retratar as perplexidades e perversidades da sociedade do seu tempo, expressou para sempre a alma do ser humano daquela época. E ao lê-lo vemos que homem e sociedade – tecnologias à parte – seguem os mesmos, com suas imperfeições, egoísmos e singelas mesquinharias. Tudo se resume a ouro e prazer. Esta busca incessante e desgastan­te. Ilusões que se criam e se esvaem diante de um mundo contraditório, que prega as boas ações mas que redunda em fortuna para muito poucos e sofri­mento e frustrações para quase todos. Pelo menos assim pensava Honoré de Balzac.

O PAI GORIOT

Ao grande e ilustre Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire

como testemunho de admiração

por seus trabalhos e por seu gênio.

De Balzac.

A sra. Vauquer, de Conflans em solteira, é uma senhora de idade que, há quarenta anos, dirige em Paris uma pensão burguesa situada na Rue Neuve-Sainte-Geneviève, entre o Quartier Latin e o Faubourg Saint-Marceau. Essa pensão, conhecida pelo nome de Casa Vauquer, admite igual­mente homens e mulheres, jovens e velhos, sem que nunca a maledicência tenha atacado os costumes desse respeitável estabelecimento. Mas é verdade que há trinta anos nunca se viu ali jovem algum e, para que um rapaz more lá, deve ser bastante magra a pensão que recebe de sua família. Entretanto, em 1819, época na qual tem início esse drama, ali se encontrava uma pobre moça. Seja qual for o descrédito em que tenha caído a palavra drama pela forma abusiva e angustiante com que tem sido tratada nesses tempos de dolorosa literatura, é preciso empregá-la aqui: não que esta história seja dramática no verdadeiro sentido da palavra, mas, consumada a leitura, talvez algumas lágrimas tenham sido vertidas intra e extramuros. Será acaso compreendida fora de Paris? Cabe a dúvida. As particularidades desse cenário cheio de observações e de cores locais só podem ser apreciadas entre as colinas de Montmartre e as alturas de Montrouge, nesse ilustre vale de escombros sempre prestes a desabar e riachos negros de lama; vale repleto de sofrimentos reais, de alegrias muitas vezes falsas, tão terrivelmente agitado que é preciso algo de exorbitante para que se produza uma sensação de alguma durabilidade. No entanto, lá se encontram, aqui e ali, dores que a aglomeração dos vícios e das virtudes torna grandes e solenes: diante delas, os egoísmos, os interesses se detêm e se apiedam; mas a sensação que delas recebem é como um fruto saboroso prontamente devorado. O carro da civilização, qual o do ídolo de Jaggernat⁴, apenas atrasado por um coração menos fácil de ser esmagado do que os outros e que lhe freia a roda, logo o quebrou e continua seu desfile glorioso. Assim farão vocês, vocês que seguram este livro com uma mão branca, que afundam numa poltrona macia dizendo a si mesmos: talvez isto me divirta. Depois de ler os secretos infortúnios do pai Goriot, jantarão com apetite, debitando sua insensibilidade ao autor, taxando-o de exagerado, acusando-o de poesia. Ah! Pois fiquem sabendo: este drama não é uma ficção, nem um romance. All is true⁵, ele é tão verdadeiro que todos podem reconhecer seus elementos em si mesmos, talvez em seu coração.

A casa na qual está estabelecida a pensão burguesa pertence à sra. Vauquer. Ela fica na parte baixa da Rue Neuve-Sainte-Geneviève, no local em que o terreno se inclina em direção à Rue de l’Arbalète com uma ladeira tão íngreme e tão difícil que os cavalos raramente a sobem ou descem. Tal circunstância é favorável ao silêncio que reina naquelas ruas apertadas entre a cúpula do Val-de-Grâce e a cúpula do Panthéon, dois monumentos que alteram as condições da atmosfera nela lançando tons amarelados, escurecendo-a por completo com os tons severos que projetam suas abóbadas. Ali, as ruas são secas, os riachos não têm lama nem água, a erva cresce ao longo dos muros. O mais indiferente dos homens ali se entristece como todos os caminhantes, o ruído de um veículo torna-se um acontecimento, as casas são melancólicas, as muralhas cheiram a prisão. Um parisiense perdido só veria ali pensões burguesas ou instituições, mi­sé­ria ou enfado, velhice que morre, juventude alegre obrigada a trabalhar. Nenhum bairro de Paris é mais horrível, nem, digamos, mais desconhecido. A Rue Neuve-Sainte-Geneviève, sobretudo, é como uma moldura de bronze, o único que convém a este relato, para o qual o espírito nunca estaria bem preparado por cores escuras, ideias graves; assim como, de degrau em degrau, o dia declina e o canto do condutor se aprofunda, quando o viajante desce às Catacumbas. Comparação verdadeira! Quem decidirá o que é mais horrível de se ver, corações ressecados ou crânios vazios?

A fachada da pensão dá para um jardinzinho, de modo que a casa forma um ângulo reto com a Rue Neuve-Sainte-Geneviève, de onde a vemos em profundidade. Ao longo dessa fachada, entre a casa e o jardinzinho, reina um leito de seixos, medindo uma toesa⁶, diante do qual há uma aleia arenosa, margeada por gerânios, louros-rosas e romãzeiras plantados em grandes vasos de porcelana azul e branca. Entra-se nessa aleia por uma porta transversal, encimada por uma placa na qual está escrito: CASA VAUQUER e, abaixo: Pensão burguesa para ambos os sexos etc. Durante o dia, uma porta com postigo, equipada com uma campainha estridente, deixa entrever, ao final do pequeno caminho, no muro oposto à rua, uma arcada pintada em mármore verde por um artista do bairro. Sob a cavidade simulada por essa pintura, eleva-se uma estátua representando o Amor. Diante do verniz lascado que a recobre, os amantes de símbolos talvez descobrissem um mito do amor parisiense do qual se trata a alguns passos dali. Sob o pedestal, esta inscrição meio apagada lembra o tempo ao qual remonta aquele enfeite pelo entusiasmo que demonstra por Voltaire, que voltou a Paris em 1777⁷:

Quem quer que sejas, eis aqui teu mestre:

Ele assim é, foi, ou deve ser.

Ao cair da noite, a porta com postigo é substituída por uma porta maciça. O jardinzinho, tão longo quanto o comprimento da fachada, fica encerrado entre o muro da rua e o muro meeiro da casa vizinha, ao longo da qual pende um manto de hera que a esconde por completo e atrai os olhos dos passantes pelo efeito pitoresco em Paris. Cada um daqueles muros é forrado de treliças e vinhas cujas frutificações delicadas e poeirentas são o objeto dos receios anuais da sra. Vauquer e de suas conversas com os pensionistas. Ao longo de cada muralha reina uma estreita aleia que leva a um coberto de tílias, palavra que a sra. Vauquer, embora nascida de Conflans, pronuncia obstinadamente tilhias, apesar das observações gramaticais de seus hóspedes. Entre as duas aleias laterais, há um canteiro de alcachofras ladeado por árvores frutíferas podadas em forma de roca e rodeado de azedinhas, alfaces ou salsinhas. Sob o coberto de tílias, fica uma mesa redonda pintada de verde e cercada de cadeiras. Ali, durante as horas caniculares, os convivas suficientemente ricos para se permitirem tomar café vão saboreá-lo num calor capaz de chocar ovos. A fachada, com três andares de altura e encimada por mansardas, é construída em pedras e recoberta daquela cor amarela que dá um aspecto ignóbil a quase todas as casas de Paris. As cinco janelas abertas em cada andar têm pequenos caixilhos e são guarnecidas de gelosias, das quais nenhuma é armada da mesma maneira, de modo que todas as suas linhas brigam entre si. A profundidade dessa casa comporta duas janelas que, no térreo, têm por ornamento barras de ferro com treliças aramadas. Atrás do imóvel há um pátio com cerca de seis metros de largura, onde vivem em boa harmonia porcos, galinhas e coelhos e no fundo do qual se ergue um alpendre para serrar madeira. Entre esse alpendre e a janela da cozinha, está suspensa a despensa, sob a qual caem as águas gordurosas da pia. Esse pátio tem, dando para a Rue Neuve-Sainte-Geneviève, uma porta por onde a cozinheira elimina os dejetos da casa, limpando essa latrina com a ajuda de muita água, sob pena de pestilência.

Naturalmente destinado à exploração da pensão bur­guesa, o térreo se compõe de um primeiro cômodo iluminado pelas duas sacadas da rua e no qual se entra por uma porta-janela. Esse salão se comunica com uma sala de refeições que fica separada da cozinha pelo vão de uma escada cujos degraus são de madeira com ladrilhos coloridos e esfregados. Nada é mais triste de se ver do que esse salão mobiliado de poltronas e cadeiras estofadas de crinolina com listras foscas e brilhantes alternadas. No meio fica uma mesa redonda com tampo de mármore Sant’Ana, decorada com uma licoreira em porcelana branca enfeitada com filetes de ouro semiapagados, que hoje se encontra por toda parte. Esse cômodo, bastante mal-assoalhado, é revestido de lambris até a altura dos ombros. O excedente das paredes é recoberto por um papel envernizado representando as principais cenas de Telêmaco, cujos clássicos personagens são coloridos. O painel entre as janelas gradeadas oferece aos pensionistas o quadro do festim oferecido ao filho de Ulisses por Calipso. Há quarenta anos, essa pintura vem estimulando os gracejos dos jovens pensionistas, que se acreditam superiores a sua situação ao zombar do jantar ao qual a miséria os condena. A lareira em pedra, cuja fornalha sempre limpa testemunha que ali só se faz fogo nas grandes ocasiões, é enfeitada por dois vasos cheios de flores artificiais, envelhecidas e apertadas, que acompanham um relógio de pêndulo em mármore azulado de péssimo gosto. Esse primeiro cômodo exala um odor sem nome no idioma e que se deveria chamar odor de pensão. Cheira a fechado, a mofado, a rançoso; dá frio, é úmido para o nariz, penetra nas roupas; tem o gosto de uma sala na qual se jantou, fede a serviço, a ofício, a hospício. Talvez pudesse ser descrito se inventássemos um procedimento para avaliar as quantidades elementares e nauseabundas que ali lançam as atmosferas catarrais e peculiares de cada pensionista, jovem ou velho. Pois bem, apesar de todos esses horrores vulgares, se comparado à sala de jantar, que lhe é contígua, considerarão esse salão elegante e perfumado como deve ser uma alcova. Tal sala, inteiramente forrada de madeira, foi outrora pintada numa cor hoje indistinta, que cria um fundo sobre o qual a sujeira imprimiu suas camadas de modo a nele desenhar figuras estranhas. É revestida de aparadores engordurados sobre os quais há garrafas esculpidas, manchadas, argolas com reflexos metálicos, pilhas de pratos de porcelana grossa, de bordas azuis, fabricados em Tounai. Num canto, está colocada uma caixa com divisórias numeradas que serve para guardar os guardanapos, manchados de comida ou vinho, de cada pensionista. Ali se encontram daqueles móveis indestrutíveis, proscritos em toda parte, mas lá colocados como são as sobras da civilização para os Incu­rables⁸. Ali verão um barômetro com um capuchinho que sai quando chove, gravuras execráveis que tiram o apetite, todas emolduradas em madeira envernizada com filetes dourados; um relógio de parede em tartaruga incrustada de cobre, um fogareiro verde, candeeiros de Argand nos quais a poeira se combina ao óleo, uma mesa comprida coberta de um pano encerado, engordurado o bastante para que um forasteiro espirituoso nele escreva seu nome usando o dedo como pena, cadeiras estropiadas, pequenos capachos lastimáveis em fibras que sempre desfiam e nunca se desfazem e mais escalfetas miseráveis com nichos quebrados e gonzos desconjuntados, nas quais a madeira carboniza. Para explicar como esse mobiliário é velho, rachado, apodrecido, bambo, corroído, estropiado, mutilado, inválido, agonizante, seria preciso dele fazer uma descrição que retardaria por demais o interesse desta história e que os apressados não perdoariam. O chão vermelho está cheio de vales produzidos pelo esfregar ou pelas camadas de cor. Enfim, ali reina a miséria sem poesia, uma miséria avara, concentrada, usada. Se ainda não está imunda, está manchada; se não está esburacada ou andrajosa, vai cair de podridão.

Esse cômodo está em todo o seu esplendor no momento em que, por volta das sete horas da manhã, o gato da sra. Vauquer precede sua dona, salta sobre os aparadores, fareja o leite contido em diversas tigelas cobertas por pratos e faz ouvir seu ronrom matinal. Logo se apresenta a viúva, ataviada com sua touca de tule sob a qual pende um tufo malcolocado de cabelos falsos; ela caminha arrastando seus chinelos enrugados. Seu rosto envelhecido, rechonchudo, do meio do qual sai um nariz em bico de papagaio; suas mãozinhas gorduchas, seu corpo roliço como um rato de igreja, seu corpete apertado demais e oscilante estão em harmonia com essa sala da qual a infelicidade exsuda, na qual se refugia a especulação e cujo ar ardentemente fétido a sra. Vauquer respira sem ficar nauseada. Seu rosto fresco como uma primeira geada de outono, seus olhos enrugados cuja expressão passa do sorriso prescrito às dançarinas à amarga carranca do agiota, enfim, toda sua pessoa explica a pensão, como a pensão implica sua pessoa. Os trabalhos forçados não existem sem o beleguim, não se imaginaria um sem o outro. A corpulência macilenta dessa mulherzinha é o produto dessa vida, como o tifo é a consequência das exalações de um hospital. Sua anágua de lã tricotada, que aparece sob sua primeira saia feita com um vestido velho e cujo acolchoado escapa pelas fendas do tecido puído, resume o salão, a sala de jantar, o jardinzinho, anuncia a cozinha e faz pressentir os pensionistas. Quando ela ali está, o espetáculo está completo. Com cerca de cinquenta anos, a sra. Vauquer se parece com todas as mulheres que passaram por dificuldades. Ela tem os olhos sem brilho, o ar inocente de uma alcoviteira que vai se enfurecer para receber mais, mas que está disposta a tudo para se dar melhor, a entregar Georges ou Pichegru⁹, se Georges ou Pichegru ainda pudessem ser entregues. Ainda assim, ela é no fundo boa pessoa, dizem os pensionistas, que a imaginam sem fortuna ao ouvi-la gemer e tossir como eles. Quem fora o sr. Vauquer? Ela nunca dava explicações a respeito do falecido. Como perdera sua fortuna? Em dificuldades, respondia ela. Ele se conduzira mal com ela, só lhe tinha deixado os olhos para chorar, aquela casa para viver e o direito de não se apiedar de qualquer infortúnio, porque, dizia ela, já sofrera tudo o que alguém pode sofrer. Ao ouvir os passinhos de sua patroa, a gorda Sylvie, a cozinheira, apressava-se em servir o almoço dos pensionistas internos.

Geralmente, os hóspedes externos só se inscreviam para o jantar, que custava trinta francos por mês. Na época em que tem início esta história, os internos eram sete. O primeiro andar tinha os dois melhores apartamentos da casa. A sra. Vauquer vivia no menor e o outro pertencia à sra. Couture, viúva de um fiscal da Receita da República Francesa. Morava com ela uma mocinha bastante jovem, chamada Victorine Taillefer¹⁰, a quem servia de mãe. A pensão de ambas custava 1.800 francos. Os dois apartamentos do segundo andar eram ocupados, um por um velhote chamado Poiret, o outro por um homem com cerca de quarenta anos que usava uma peruca preta, pintava as suíças, dizia-se ex-comerciante e se chamava sr. Vautrin¹¹. O terceiro andar compunha-se de quatro quartos, dois dos quais estavam alugados, um por uma solteirona chamada srta. Michonneau¹², o outro por um antigo fabricante de aletrias, massas italianas e de amido, que se fazia chamar de pai Goriot. Os dois outros quartos destinavam-se às aves de arribação, aos desafortunados estudantes que, como o pai Goriot e a srta. Michonneau, só podiam destinar 45 francos por mês a sua alimentação e moradia; mas a sra. Vauquer fazia pouco gosto de sua presença e só os admitia quando não havia coisa melhor: eles comiam pão demais. Naquele momento, um desses quartos pertencia a um rapaz vindo dos arredores de Angoulê­me a Paris para estudar Direito e cuja numerosa família se submetia às mais duras privações a fim de lhe enviar mil e duzentos francos por ano. Eugène de Rastignac¹³, como se chamava, era um desses jovens acostumados ao trabalho pelo infortúnio, que compreendem desde a mais tenra idade as esperanças neles depositadas por seus pais e que se preparam um belo destino calculando desde cedo a importância de seus estudos e adaptando-os de antemão ao movimento futuro da sociedade, para serem os

Avaliações de O pai Goriot

[rosemarie.herbert · Nota: 2 de 5 estrelas]

This review has been crossposted from my blog Review from The Cosy Dragon Please head there for more in-depth reviews by me.

'Pere Goriot', or Old Father Goriot, is a realist text which is difficult initially to understand and read. There are a number of characters, including Goriot himself and the irredeemable Rastignac, who focalize the novel. This novel is translated from French. If you want an in-depth experience of 'real' Paris, this will be good for you.

The first 100 or so pages of the novel are impossible to get into. It is all just setting the scene for the 'action'. If you persevere, you will find some more satisfying plot developments, but nothing that really shouts at you to read on. In the end, I found myself reading just to see what would happen to poor old Goriot, who got the death I expected.

If you do suddenly find yourself attached to any of the characters, this novel is part of a set 'The Human Comedy'. Balzac made it his mission to catalog the entirety of Parisian society, and most of this is contained within his published works. Balzac died before he completed it, but this is a project that I feel he probably never would have been satisfied with .

This novel is a great example of realism! There is a heavy focus on detailed settings, as if you are really walking the streets of Paris. A number of the characters seem like placeholders, while others are fully fleshed out. I don't think anyone feels real emotion for the characters, for everything is already set out for them. They seem to not try escape their sorry lot, and Rastignac in particular is quite a repugnant person.

This is not something I would enjoy reading for pleasure. As a text in a literature degree, it was a good one to study though, as it was filled with details that I could use for analysis. My version has a set of essays in the second half of the book, which was interesting and useful reading. It is good to know some historical background before setting out into the book.

Keep in mind that this is translated from French, so each translator may potentially put a different spin on things. Also, if you're going to buy it online, make sure to get the English version!

[justmerosalie · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

I ENJOYED THE "TOUR OF FRANCE" AS WELL AS THE PEOPLE AND STYLE IT WAS WRITTEN IN.

[bookomaniac-1 · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

Een klassieke Balzac, mooie vertelling, zij het lichtelijk melodramatisch. 

[mailika-1 · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

Isa Goriot oli edukas nuudlikaupmees, kes elas luksuses. Ärist lahkus ta tütarde abikaasade surve tõttu. Elas pansionis ja kolis aina kõrgemale korrusele (jäi vaesemaks). Tema üle heideti nalja ja ei austatud. Ta täitis tütarde soovid ja tegi neile kõik ette-taha ära. Tahtis, et neil läheks kõik hästi. Isaarmastus läks liiale. Kogu kiindumus, mis tal naise vastu oli, suunas ta oma tütardele. Lõpuks jäi haigeks ja suri.

[thorold_1 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Just about the only thing I remembered from last time I read this, in my teens, was that Goriot was in the vermicelli business. It's odd how that sort of unimportant detail sticks in your mind!In a way, this is the standard French novel plot, i.e. young man from the provinces comes to Paris and meets sophisticated older woman, but with two very particular twists: Goriot, the retired businessman who has sacrificed everything to launch his daughters into society and now finds himself treated like King Lear, and the elusive Vautrin, a self-made man of a different sort altogether. The very compact story makes a nice change from the long-windedness of 19th century English novelists with three volumes to fill, and so does Balzac's healthy cynicism: a story doesn't necessarily have to end with everyone neatly married off, and it's perfectly possible for someone to attend a sentimental deathbed scene without becoming a reformed character as a result.

[beyondedenrock · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

I knew that I wanted to read Balzac, but where to start?I knew that his great work, La Comedie Humaine, was a vast collection of loosely linked novels that he wrote to portray each and every level of French society. I knew that with more than forty books this wasn’t a series I was going to read in its entirety; and so, because I had copies of several books, I gave each one of them careful consideration before I decided which looked the most interesting.My choice was ‘Le Père Goriot’, a book from the middle of Balzac’s writing career, and a book which is said by many to be his greatest work.My decision may have been influenced by the fact that the story is set in a boarding house – I have always loved boarding house novels – and the story begins with wonderfully precisie description of the Maison Vaquer, a poor but respectable establishment, and its inhabitants.Only once the scene is properly set, can the story can begin.At first I was very aware of the narrator. He was articulate, he was engaging, but I was a little concerned that he was interrupting the story he has to tell to reinforce points. They were good points, but I wanted them to come from the story and the characters. In time they did, and in time the narrator faded into the background; he was doing is job so well that I forgot he was there.The newest resident of the boarding house was Eugene de Rastignac who had recently arrived from the country, carrying all of the hopes of his family, to study law. His plan had been to throw himself into work and study, but it wasn’t long before he saw that he needed to make connections and be well placed in society if he was to succeed; and it was his great good luck to was blessed with a cousin who was well placed to introduce him to some of ‘the right people’.He was amiable, he had a natural charm, and he was well liked at the Maison Vaquer.Father Goriot was less well liked. When he had first arrived at the boarding house he had taken one of the best rooms, he had furnished it with lovely things, and his landlady had set her cap at him. When he didn’t respond, when those lovely things began to disappear and Father Goriot moved to one of her cheapest rooms, she treated him with disdain. Still he didn’t respond, and the other boarders considered him to be a rather foolish – maybe rather simple – old man.Eugene didn’t pay much attention to the situation, until the day he saw something that piqued his interestHis cousin had introduced Rastignac to the beautiful Comtesse de Restaud, and he was smitten. He visited her home, and, while he was waiting for her to appear, he looked out of the window and saw her with Goriot at the back of the house. His visit went well until he mentioned that he knew the old man. As soon as the words were out of his mouth his visit was summarily ended; the next time he visited the Comtesse was ‘not at home’, and it was conveyed to him that she would never be ‘at home’ to him again.He couldn’t understand what had happened, and he turned to his cousin for advice. She explained a little; she told him that Goriot was the Comtesse’s father …Goriot had been a wealthy tradesman, and very blissfully happy with his beloved wife and their two lovely two daughters. When his wife died, he gave all of the love he had to his daughters; and he used almost all of his fortune to provide them with sizable dowries, so that they might marry rich and powerful men.They did just that, and he hoped that he might live with one or the other of them, and that the three of them would always be close. His hopes were dashed, because those rich and powerful men had no time for a humble tradesman. They would not welcome him into their homes, they would not even acknowledge him in public, and their wives followed suit.That was why Goriot moved into the Maison Vaquer, living off the little capital that he had kept for himself. His capital quickly diminished, because even though his daughters wanted him to keep his distance, they came to him whenever that had a bill to pay that their husband would not like, or that they would rather he did not know about.They took his love for granted, he could refuse them nothing, and so he was only one step away from destitution.When his cousin suggested that Eugene should woo Madame Delphine de Nucingen, Goriot’s other daughter, he saw many possibilities. It would it serve as revenge against her sister- the two sisters were bitterly competitive – it could be his stepping stone into society – and it could give him a chance to help the old man he had come to like very much.He followed her suggestion.Father Goriot was delighted that his young friend was moving in the same circles as his daughters, that he was able to bring him news of them. He was delighted with the smallest crumb; he thought nothing of himself, all of his care and concern was for them.Eugene could do nothing more for the old man. His daughters continued to take his love for granted, and it seemed that love had made them utterly selfish.His coming of age, his rise through society was set against Goriot’s fall.The story would end with his funeral; with only Eugene, the house boy who had always liked the old man who was kind to him, and two empty carriages sent by his sons-in-law in attendance.It took a little while for the story to get its hooks into me, but once it did I was caught, completely and utterly, to the very last page.The characters were complex and intriguing; and I couldn’t help responding to them. Nothing was black and white, but I saw so many shades of grey. I could understand why it was said that Goriot was a foolish old man – and I have to say that he was a fool for the best of reasons, that the world would be a better place if there were more fools like him.The story sets the world of the rich and powerful against the world of work and poverty very effectively. It was distinctive, it was uncontrived, and it illuminated similarities and differences. There was corruption and wrongdoing in both worlds, but the underlying causes were different. Some were keeping up appearances and expected much, while others were concerned with survival and advancement …It was told though a wonderful combination of descriptive passages and dialogues that made the characters, the era they lived in and the city that was home to them live and breathe.The boarding house and the salons were so well evoked that I might have been there.The old man’s downfall broke my heart, but the young man’s progress gave me hope for the future.

[stbalbach_1 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Balzac, a French author, was the father of the literary genre "realism". As he says in the opening pages "..this drama is not fictional, it's not a novel: All is true--so true you will be able to recognize everything that goes into it in your own life". Of course, it is fiction, "Pere Goriot" is one of over 90 novels Balzec wrote in a frantic 20-year writing career that detail aspects of social and private life in France in the 1820s and 1830s, part of an integrated work called "The Human Comedy". "Pere Goriot" is considered representative of Balzac at the height of his abilities and is one of his most widely read novels.Having never (consciously) read a "realist" novel, I knew what to expect after the first 20 pages were devoted to describing every last detail of a Parisian bording house. Far from boring, it was like a history or anthropology book come alive in full color, sound and taste. Balzacs powers of observation are so penetrating, not just of objects but of the human heart and mind, that it is no wonder historians have used his work as a basis for understanding France during that time period. Oscar Wilde said of Balzac "The Nineteenth-Century, as we know it, is largely an invention of Balzac's".There are a number of translations available, I started with the free Gutenburg translation from the 19th century and gave up one-quarter through as too many passages were undecipherable. The Raffel translation (Norton Critical Edition), critically acclaimed, is pure magic; re-reading the same sections brought forth an entirely new book, it was amazing to see the difference translators have on the novel.

[mrbobble · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

Sometimes slow. Sometimes confusing. But definitely interesting. I couldn't recall the name so that is not so good. But I searched for Death Dodger and found the book.

[williamcostiganjr · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

There's a lot to love about this book. The writing is evocative and often humourous.However, there is a lot of extra padding that could have been trimmed. Sometimes the characters go on repeating themselves for pages at a time. The romance is overdone--but considering when it was written, is not so bad.I liked Balzac's black humor, showcased in frequent asides about Paris, money, family, society, etc. I liked how money incessantly influenced his characters' actions.The story is far-fetched in parts, but that did not detract from my enjoyment too much.

[bookworm87_1 · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

"Pere Goriot" was a good book about the dangers of wealth. The old man is a once-wealthy tradesman with two beautiful but unhappily married daughters. Their frivolous spending habits cause Pere Goriot, who dearly loves his daughters, to give up his fortune and sell all of his valuables in order to pay their debts. The book also chronicles the struggles of Eugene Rastignac, who desires the life of the rich and famous Parisians that surround him. The book was a fast read--although it could have been more absorbing--and it taught a good lesson. Quite funny in parts!

[jnwelch_1 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

I had Old Goriot recommended as a place to start with Honore de Balzac, and it worked well. It's set in post-Napoleonic Paris, and at various times made me think both of King Lear and Charles Dickens. There is a strong cynical view of upper vs. lower classes in it. Old Goriot had become wealthy via his vermicelli (!) business, and was able to set up his two daughters in marriages to aristocratic gentlemen. To help finance them, he lives modestly in a boarding house. The book begins with what for me was a dense and lengthy foundation-setting involving the boarding house's inhabitants, but once that was done the novel became much more engaging.The other central character is law student Eugene Ratsignac, a largely pure-hearted young man who wants to make his way in Parisian society. He has little money, which normally would make such advancement impossible, but he has an aristocratic family connection that gets him some initial footing on that social ladder. A cousin is willing to help him, and soon he makes a powerful romantic ally.Old Goriot lives for the happiness of his daughters, and they take every advantage of his generosity with little demonstration of paternal affection. Their husbands don't want him around, and he lives for brief glimpses of his daughters. Eugene comes to appreciate Goriot's sacrifice, and the nobility of his soul.Turns out that Dickens was indeed influenced by Balzac, and there's even a Magwitch-type character in Old Goriot, the ex-convict Vauterin, except his aims are self-benefit rather than recompense. Vauterin tests Eugene's honesty, and Goriot's treatment by his daughters and their husbands, among other things, opens Eugene's eyes to the often vicious nature of Parisian high society. In this book and others Balzac apparently broke from a more romantic tradition and provided a realism that readers hadn't seen before. Old Goriot provides a vivid and unflattering picture of Paris in that era, as two more noble spirits try to negotiate their way through it.

[alanwpowers · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

Cheering for a father of daughters to read this book--or any father. The daughters only write to ask for funds, as they make their way up the social ladder well above where they can even acknowledge their father.Who but Balzac writes of a proud French General, "simple as a child," or of "professeur," essentially a prep school teacher, at "Collège de France, payé pour tenir a la hauteur de ses auditeurs " (56). He writes of youth, and its "contagion des sentiments."The wonderful, patheti ending features a French funeral--for which , see Dickens' satire in theUncommercial Traveller. Pere Goriot's death is unattended by his daughters, his funeral...well, no spoilers on that. Goriot gets some grand monologs, for sure.

[bale_5 · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

A powerful character study of the driving force behind humanity: money. The almighty dollar defines and influences society and holds court over its moral choices. Balzac deftly illustrates the extent to which people will go to procure wealth, or at least the illusion of wealth, in 19th century Parisian society. A young man learns this painful truth as he is initiated into the adult world. “Golden chains are the heaviest of all fetters...Henceforth there is war between us.” This timeless message is repeated throughout Balzac’s work.

[p_s_patrick · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

The plot of Old Goriot weaves together opposite ends of the Parisian social scale – the ballrooms and salons of the aristocracy, and a shabby but apparently respectable boarding house in a poor quarter of town. It is in this dreary and worn and wonderfully described old house that a variety of unlikely personalities are thrown together, including the two main characters Old Goriot and Eugene Rastingac. Along with the other residents these provide the excellent mix of humour, tragedy, comic mundanity, intrigue, and wealth of insights onto human psychology that make Balzac's novels so entertaining. We also see the vacuous world of materialism, greed, pleasure seeking, fashion, and social climbing, into which some of these characters variously dip their toes or plunge. As in many of Balzac's works, the story is driven in part by a character with a specific obsessive personality trait - in this case Old Father Goriot who is fixed on providing for his selfish daughters. Monsieur Rastignac however is an altogether more interesting and torn character in that he represents some of the better aspects of human nature, while having enough self interest that he can be led into shady schemes by those who are more cynical and less honourable than he. The fight between his sense of what is right, and the desire for personal advancement play out in this complicated character throughout the novel. Old Goriot is none the less a troubled being, though in his case this is due to his psychological complex over being a good father to his two heartless daughters. While I won't give the story away, there are several heart-wrenching scenes, and an ending that fits the story.Taken all together, this is the best of Balzac's full length novels that I have read so far, and definitely more interesting and complete than either Eugene Grandet or the Village Rector for example.

[morddel_1 · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

No one does the French like Balzac!

[patrickgarson_1 · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

This book snuck up on me. I thought it was going to be one kind of classic, but upon finishing realised it was a different kind - a genuine classic. Hiding beneath Balzac's congenial, almost garrulous tone there is a sharp and unsentimental eye. By the book's conclusion I could well see a writer that would go on to inspire a whole generation from Zola, to Dickens, to Flaubert and Dostoevsky. The book opens on Madame Vacquer's boardinghouse - accommodation for those bobbing just above the tideline of poverty. Its motley inhabitants are drawn together by little more than propinquity; some on the way up, others on the way down, and others in a grim holding pattern until old age or disease take them. Eugene Rastignac, a bucolic just-nobleman is on the way up, drawn to Paris for his legal studies, and soon to be awed by an introduction to the city's dizziest heights. One the way down is the eponymous Goriot. Once a wealthy trader, plump from exploitation during the revolution, every day seems to leave him poorer. But what could the ridiculous Goriot have in common with the young, up-and-coming Rastignac? The answer to this question forms the book's core. And whilst, superficially, it seems a familiar tale from the nineteenth century, it is in fact one of the first, and one with true insight. Balzac is not content to use the ups-and-downs of those with a precarious hold on security merely to propel a narrative, as so many of his disciples were wont to do; he's trying to say something.He does take his sweet time getting there, however. The first fifty pages or so left me distinctly underwhelmed. It's easy to see why W. Somerset Maugham was such an admirer of Balzac: Much like Maugham, he likes to pepper his narrative with little asides and ruminations on society, clothing, any notion that takes his fancy, really. And, like Maugham, these asides only sometimes justify the narrative break required to furnish them.Balzac's foremost talent is his observational skill. The characters are rendered almost effortlessly. Recognisable types, to be sure, but types that expand almost on demand to contain complexities, contradictions, shades of grey. Indeed, in a lot of ways Pere Goriot is a Bildungsroman whose first concern is the expansion of Rastignac. But his development - like most portrayals in the book - is neither smooth, nor predictable, nor simplistic. Whilst Balzac can embrace the cliche when he wants - as with the grasping comedy of Madame Vacquer - he eschews it for his main characters, giving us protagonists with a healthly dose of ambiguity. We identify with them, because of their flaws in addition to their virtues. To me, it gave the book an emotional heft that a dozen other 19th century novels with very similar plots lack. It also highlights Balzac's larger game, which is to turn a critical eye on French society's most venal hypocrisies. It's a harsh eye at times, but not jaundiced. Balzac isn't interested in agitprop or simple class escapism. He means to entertain, most assuredly - and the book grows progressively entertaining as typified by its chaotic dinner scenes - but not without provocation. In conclusion, I enjoyed Pere Goriot, a lot. I'm unsure how much of this can be attributed the novel's slow start and my subsequent expectations - discovering its merits was like biting into a plain pastry only to realise the centre is filled with delicious jam. However, even those expecting jam could not be disappointed with something so sweet yet at the same time tart, and all in such a small package - barely 250 pages. This accessible, intelligent novel really is a must for anyone with an interest in 19th century literature, preceding as it does so much of it, and so well.

[smiler69 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

When an elegant Monsieur Goriot first moves into Madame Vauquer's shabby boarding house, the middle-aged woman is impressed with his expensive clothes and the costly furniture and accessories he has brought with him to his ample rooms, which are among the best her humble lodgings have to offer. She considers he might be a good prospect for her, but in very little time, Goriot is visibly reduced, has moved into her cheapest quarters and sold off all his silverware, and she, along with the other lodgers, take to making fun of the old man to his face, and accusing him of seeing prostitutes when two elegant ladies come to visit him on occasion. The truth is that the old man has given away all his worldly possessions so that his two grown daughters could have the best of everything, have brilliant marriages, and be important members of Parisian high society in the early 19th century. Only one of Old Goriot's fellow lodgers, Eugene de Rastignac—a young law student—takes a real interest in the old man, and before long, the ambitious youth finds himself wrapped up in Goriot's family drama. A searing criticism about a society more interested in appearances than in individual wellbeing, and a moving portrayal of the extremes to which a father will go out of love for his children.

[thelostentwife · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

This book floored me. I mean, jaw on the floor, gaping as I read, type of floored me. Who knew Balzac could be so approachable? I picked up this book fully expecting to struggle through it, much like my earlier trials with Middlemarch, and instead I found myself thoroughly intrigued by this drama. And Balzac himself, as narrator of the story of Father Goriot, calls it a drama, although he hastens to explain that it isn’t quite the same as those other dramas of the time.The word drama has been somewhat discredited of late; it has been overworked and twisted to strange uses in these days of dolorous literature; but it must do service again here, not because this story is dramatic in the restricted sense of the word, but because some tears may perhaps be shed intra et extra muros before it is over. – Father Goriot by BalzacThe story is focused around two characters – Father Goriot and a young, law student named Eugene Rastignac. They are acquainted by being one of several boarders in a respectable, if a bit shabby, boarding house in Paris, France. Goriot is the father of two married daughters, and Rastignac is, at the expense of his parents and two sisters, attempting to marry into society and wealth – but in a respectful way!This drama has everything – murder and intrigue through the character of Vautrin, the Trick of Death. It has humor – there is an entire scene which made me think of our modern day Snoop Dog “shizzle” moments – Balzac talks about how the diorama has recently been unveiled, and as a result, in passing, humorous conversation, the morpheme “orama” is added to the end of random words – such as Goriot-orama. There is an entire scene at the dinner table in which words are bantered about, and even referenced later in the book that had me laughing out loud in sheer delight. It has tragedy – the outcome of Father Goriot and his daughters relationship is one that, as Balzac foretells, worthy of tears. It showcases both the good and bad sides of the human character, and provides an interesting commentary on situations and feelings that are relevant still today.Some day you will find out that there is far more happiness in another’s happiness than in your own – BalzacThe human heart may find here and there a resting-place short of the highest height of affection, but we seldom stop in the steep, downward slope of hatred - BalzacI wish I could go further into the quotes and how many things I highlighted on my Kindle – but then this entire review would be just repeated quote after quote, since there are quite a few of them. I have to encourage you to pick up this book and read it – I hope you will find it as fascinating as I did. Such an incredible story of the tragedy of life.

[rocketjk · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

This was my first Balzac novel, although I've read several of his short stories, and I found it insightful, sad and funny, if a bit over-written in parts. The book shows us the story of Eugene Rastinac, a young member of the rural French gentry who comes to the big city, determined to make his way in the society of early 19th Century Paris (and/or study law). His story intersects with that of the title character, an old retiree who, King Lear-like, has made the mistake of giving his fortune to his two daughters in the expectation that they will care for him in his old age. Rastinac and Goriot meet in the run-down rats nest of a rooming house they both live in, an abode described so well that a reader can almost smell the dust and feel the decay.Henry Reed, the translater of the Signet Classic edition I read, tells us in his Afterword that Balzac was in the habit of going back and amending his works, sometimes even after they'd been published. Those amendments usually consisted of additional text, and not always, as Reed tells it, to the ultimate benefit of the work. Still, while some French publishers offer shorter versions, Reed has here translated the entire text of Balzac's final edition. And, really, it's not that hard to tell where the padding has occurred, as his characters speeches sometimes seem overlong, especially towards the end.Nevertheless, Pere Goriot is keen social satire, the characterizations are quite good, and the observations are often both memorable and funny. For example very early on, we are told that Madame Vaquer, the keeper of the rooming house, had originally entertained designs of marriage on Goriot during his first days as a lodger, but that those hopes had quickly been dashed. Her reaction is described, in part, thusly:"Inevitably, she went farther in hostility than she had ever gone in friendship. It was her expectations, not her love, that had been disappointed. If the human heart sometimes finds moments of pause as it ascends the slopes of affection, it rarely halts on the way down."The hypocricy, and the heart, of human society at all its levels is investigated well, here. And the book is lots of fun.

[drfp_1 · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

My first Balzac novel and I have to say he's far better than Flaubert at that this stage (having read Madame Bovary and Three Tales). Balzac may be extremely descriptive but he infuses everyone and everything with real heart - something I felt sorely lacking from Flaubert, who seems so mechanical in his prose. Perhaps Balzac goes a little too far here - the melodrama is a somewhat overdone - but I found this an invigorating novel with some of Stendhal's sly, satirical humour.Maupassant would go on to do a lot better but this is still decent stuff.

[reneeseinfeld · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

A very powerful book. It was appalling and painful to watch unfold. I found the whole rooming house "lifestyle" very intriguing and wondered what percentage of the paris population lived in rooming houses in the 1830's. How many situations in todays world put so many different people in the same room to interact with each other? I'm not sure that Goirot, if given the ability to go back and start over, would have had the strength to truly do the things that would have created loving, genuine, and decent daughters. The book was very relevant to the issues of today; the constant pressures of financial appearance; wanting to raise decent and loving children; aging and the fear of being alone; the struggle of doing what is easy vs. doing what is right. I highly recommend this book.

[nee3nee · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

The story starts out by meeting Madame Vauquer, a poor but, more or less, respectable woman who runs the boarding house where we meet most of the characters in this novel. The boarding house is a horrible, dirty, little, place but reputable enough. It is here we meet Eugene Rastignac and the rest of the story pretty much follows him. A poor law student from the country, Eugene has seen enough of Paris to want more, more than a poor law student can achieve without assistance. He comes up with a plan to get a rich mistress who will help him to succeed in society. But as no Parisian woman would have him as he is, he writes home and borrows money from his family and asks an Aunt, who used to frequent Parisian society, for an introduction to anyone she thinks might aid him in this social climb. The family comes through with the money and a letter to a distant cousin Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauseant. The introduction to Madame de Beauseant is important for Eugene. He is invited to ball is accepted there and meets a beautiful woman, Madame la Comtess de Restaud. She is beautiful, rich and will serve his purpose quite well. On his first call to the Madame de Restaud he blunders unforgivably. He sees a fellow boarder leaving their house and questions if they happen to know "Old Goriot." As it turns out "Old Goriot" is Madame's father. This embarrasses everyone and as Eugene leaves Monsieur de Restaud tells the doorman not to let him in again.From there Eugene goes to Madame de Beauseants and applies to her for help. How can he have a rich mistress if he has poor country habits? He asks her to teach him how to behave in society. She does this and helps him to find another potential mistress. Madame de Nucingen "Old Goriot's" other daughter. This works out well as Madame de Nucingen's last beau has just left her. Eugene takes to seeing Madame de Nucingen very frequently and when he comes home he tells Goriot all about it. By this time Eugene has come to admire and respect Goriot. He finds out exactly what kind of women this mans daughters are and why he, Goriot, is in such poverty at Madame Vanquers. He gave them everything they ever wanted as children he has continued this in their adulthood. He ruins himself with his maniacal desire to pay their debts. Eugene remains more or less good at heart through this debacle. But instead of changing his mind he continues in his scheme. I very much enjoyed this novel. The human natures described here are both appalling and engrossing. A great read and a quick one (275 pages.) Completely worthwhile.

[lukes_171461 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

This classic piece was my introduction to Balzac. This canny Frenchman is a close and knowing observer of human nature. The hopes, desperation, greed, and cynicism so rampant every day in our world, are fully on display here.The tale is told through the viewpoint of Rastignac, a 21 year-old law student and newcomer to Paris. Rastignac's ambition are the common ones, to be rich, fashionable, and carefree, and wishes to take a mistress. These ambitions shift over the course of the story. He becomes enamored of Pere Goriot, understanding what a virtuous man he is. Balzac shows is the destructiveness of 19th-century Paris society: Goriot's two worldly daughters waste his means over time and leave him impoverished. Goriot himself, however, is as much a supporter of worldly amibitions as anyone, but it bankrupts him and at length, at least indirectly, kills him.Here is post-Napoleon Paris, described closely if not lovingly by Balzac. This author's fame as a canny observer of human nature and human folly is richly deserved. If you haven't yet taken up Balzac, this is an outstanding place to start. Go for it!

[schmerguls · Nota: 1 de 5 estrelas]

1194. Pere Goirot, by Honore de Balzac (read 5 Nov 1972) The good experience I had with the preceding Balzac novel led me to look forward greatly to reading this, but I was surprised by how stupid the story was. It tells of an old man who loves his two daughters so much that he pauperizes himself --not for their good, but for their bad! He helps their boyfriends (both married), buys them jewels, etc. It is just the most moronic story. Eugene Rastignac is a student of 22 who is also an obnoxious person, whining money out of his poor family so he can buy stupid luxuries and impress stupid women. I cannot say anything good aboout the book except that it was easy to read. But the story, the characters, everything made me contemptuous. I decided to read no more Balzac--and I have not. [In August 2008 I did read Cousin Bette. and again decided I need read no more Balzac.]

[michelebel_1 · Nota: 5 de 5 estrelas]

What a splendid, yet daunting, vision Balzac must have had when he set out to write his extraordinary body of work, "La Comédie Humaine", a collection of almost 100 novels and plays. If "Père Goriot" is indicative of his oeuvre, then I have a lot of reading to do - I found this book compelling. Many of the characters could be any of the selfish, materialistic, social climbers who have contributed to the global financial crisis that we are all enduring today. For Balzac holds up a mirror to ourselves and if we care to examine the reflection, we can see all the vanities, the petty squabbles, the emptiness of much of what passes as contemporary life. Why is depression the most rapidly increasing mental illness in Western societies despite the rampant consumerism that sees us with 'stuff' we don't need? Balzac certainly shows us the darker side of human nature but he also gives Rastignac and the medical student the empathy that leaves us with a sense of hope that not everyone is tarnished by egoism, that both good and evil are part of the human condition and it is up to us to choose which one we should follow. The tragedy of Père Goriot is not unusual - the blind, unselfish love that creates its own destruction is a familiar story as anyone who has suffered unrequited love can attest. And what is Vautrin but the embodiment of the immoral conmen of today, whether they be politicians, drug lords, or businessmen intent on feathering their gaudy nests with no regard for anyone else.Balzac's descriptions of Paris, the poverty existing so close to luxury, are illuminating and realistic- the odours of Madame Vauquer's boarding house can almost be smelt. This is a wonderful, timeless book, as is so much good literature, and if we dare to examine ourselves, we will find there is much that relates to us in "Père Goriot".

[klarusu · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

This was my first foray into Balzac and it certainly won't be my last. It is, in a way, less a story of old Goriot himself (an old man, almost destitute, living in a run-down boarding house on the seedier side of Paris, visited occasionally by two beautiful young women who he claims are his daughters) as it is of Eugene Rastignac, the young student who shares the boarding house with Goriot and a host of richly drawn supporting characters. Balzac creates a masterful description, evocative and vibrant, bringing the high society and low underbelly of Paris alive for the reader. He is ascerbic and satirical in his portrayal of life at both ends of the social scale and makes astute observations about the human condition in general through his well-realised cast of characters and the moral dilemmas they face. Often this is executed with sharp humour, relevant in its application to certain elements of modern-day human interaction. It is an easy read and the style is both contemporary and accessible to the modern-day reader despite the age of the work. It is a great book, a portrait of human failings, of self-interest, of consuming passions and of the cynicism of romantic attachments. I would highly recommend it.

[mickyfine · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

In a reputable, albeit shabby, boarding house in Paris there lives the usual mix of humanity frequent such places. In Madame Vauquer's establishment, the most ridiculed of her tenants is Pere Goriot, who seems generally absent-minded unless someone mentions his daughters. But with a man so willing to surrender everything he has for children, there are circumstances that arise which can only lead to tragedy.With a tendency to pluck the heights of melodrama, Pere Goriot was an intriguing reading experience. I found it fascinating for its social commentary on the norms of the upper classes in Paris in the 19th century, with its utter lack of scandal around lovers and mistresses. While I was never particularly attached to the characters themselves, I was pulled in sufficiently by the plot to want to find out what happened to them. I do recommend the translation of this edition as it reflects the language of the period while remaining accessible for modern readers.

[jtodd1973 · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

One of the difficulties of this book is that Balzac expects you to understand the society he is describing. He wastes no space explaining civil law or recent history and the such, but only references them as needed to further the story. I would need a well-annotated edition to really understand it all, and the Barnes & Noble Classics editions are by no means well-annotated.

[bayardus-1 · Nota: 3 de 5 estrelas]

It's interesting that Père Goriot has the name that it does, as that character is neither the main one in the text nor the character whose actions most drive the plot. Nevertheless Goriot is the emotional heart of this novel, which does several things but ultimately its most successful accomplishment is depicting the selfless love of a father and the selfishness of children both brought to harmful extremes.

The book merges a critique of French high society with the story of King Lear- but minus Cordelia, and with a Lear that has his pride replaced by the desire to indulge his children. On the front of social critique I found the novel lacking, as I'm afraid Proust has ruined such exercises for me. Proust lived in this same social labyrinth and theater, and his serious depictions of it are both more involved and more moving. In Search of Lost Time also allows the reader to view just how absurd the system was, as the absurdity is not exactly hidden from view. In contrast the satirization of the absurdities of the Paris social ladder that Balzac presents here seems rather simple and boring.

Luckily the parts of the novel that reimagined King Lear worked better, though Balzac changes the moral ambiguity of one of Shakespeare's greatest plays into more of a tear-jerker. It's not hard, really, to make a story like this emotionally powerful- you write a kind, good character and then have mean, evil characters keep hurting that kind one over and over again until the kind one is utterly broken. That's inherently sad. Balzac, though, does not just go for the easy emotional impact but also points to such boundless kindness without consideration behind it being a potential source of evil itself. Goriot earns the title of this book by being the most poignant character of the novel, and the one I'm most likely to remember.

Beyond Goriot, though, the stories of most of the other characters were less striking. There's an effective passage where the main character Rastignac writes his family for money, taking every scrap they can scrounge so that he can take some chances in the social scene that, even if successful, could result in no payout. Instead of maintaining this tension and having the pressure suspended over Rastignac, the novel resolves this point with little fanfare a few pages later, and indeed the novel makes clear at about the midway point that Rastignac's schemes will come to at least some level of fruition. This drained much of the narrative tension from that character's arc. Nevertheless I suppose the book has the reputation that it has for Goriot, not for one of the other two dozen odd characters.

I wonder if Dickens read Père Goriot, as there were some significant similarities between this work and Great Expectations.

[poetontheone · Nota: 4 de 5 estrelas]

Balzac gives readers a nuanced and meticulous moral drama portraying the French high society and its destructive power. His eye for detail is unparalleled ad his characters are full and multidimensional. A master prose stylist that reveals to us the horrors the of Parisian life in realistic yet tragic ways. A succinct read that belies layers of intricacy andl eds itself to study and analysis regarding ideas of family, class, and society.