The Illustrious Gaudissart

In "The Illustrious Gaudissart," Honoré de Balzac delivers a vibrant satire encapsulated within the fabric of his broader literary project, "La Comédie Humaine." Through the character of Gaudissart, a shrewd and flamboyant traveling salesman, Balzac explores the relentless pursuit of social mobility and the often ludicrous nature of ambition in 19th-century France. The novella employs a rich, de...