Relatively few works by Balzac can bear comparison with
Illusions perdues[
Lost Illusions] for its overall scope and chronological span, or for its range of themes, characters and stylistic registers. This blockbuster of a story is, in effect, a trilogy of novels that were first written separately (
Illusions perdues, 1837;
Un Grand home de province à Paris, 1839;
Eve et David, 1843). They were then brought together and reworked into a single text in three parts, under the title
Illusions perdues, for the collective edition of Balzac's works in 1843 that was to be entitled
La Comédie humaine[
The Human Comedy]. The result is a panoramic narrative spanning the years from the Terror through to the early 1840s, and giving insights into a broad range of social and historical issues that…
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Citation: Unwin, Tim. "Illusions perdues". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 November 2006 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=4537, accessed 22 November 2024.]
