| Author |
Balzac, Honoré de, 1799-1850 |
| Translator |
Marriage, Ellen, 1865-1946 |
| Title |
The Magic Skin
|
| Note |
Reading ease score: 67.5 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.
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| Credits |
Produced by Dagny, Bonnie Sala, and David Widger
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| Summary |
"The Magic Skin" by Honoré de Balzac is a novel written during the early 19th century. The story delves into themes of desire, desperation, and the interplay between fate and free will, centering around a young man named Raphael de Valentin. He finds himself on the brink of suicide, feeling the weight of his unfulfilled dreams and suffering from poverty and despair. The opening of the novel sets a dark and atmospheric tone, as Raphael enters a gambling house at the Palais-Royal, drawn by his compulsions yet seemingly untouched by the seasoned gamblers around him. He places his last piece of gold on the table, representing his final gamble against despair, and loses it, hinting at the futility of his situation. As he leaves the gambling den with thoughts of suicide, he encounters a mysterious old merchant who offers him a magical piece of skin that promises to fulfill his desires but at a great price. This encounter lays the groundwork for the profound moral and existential dilemmas that will unfold throughout the novel. (This is an automatically generated summary.)
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| Language |
English |
| LoC Class |
PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
|
| Subject |
Fantasy fiction
|
| Subject |
Authors -- Fiction
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| Subject |
Wishes -- Fiction
|
| Subject |
Hides and skins -- Fiction
|
| Subject |
French fiction -- Translations into English
|
| Subject |
Magic -- Fiction
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| Category |
Text |
| EBook-No. |
1307 |
| Release Date |
Feb 12, 2005 |
| Most Recently Updated |
Jan 27, 2021 |
| Copyright Status |
Public domain in the USA. |
| Downloads |
653 downloads in the last 30 days. |
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