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La Comédie Humaine #33
The Black Sheep
Philippe and Joseph Bridau are extremely different brothers. The elder, Philippe, is a superficially heroic soldier. Adored by their mother, Agathe, he is none the less a bitter figure, secretly gambling away her savings after a brief but glorious career in Napoleon's army. His younger brother, Joseph, meanwhile, is fundamentally virtuous - yet their mother is blinded to his kindness by her disapproval of his life as an artist. Foolish and prejudiced, Agathe lives unaware that she is being cynically manipulated by her favouorite child, but will she ever discover which of her sons is truly the black sheep of the family? A novel with strong autobiographical elements, The Black Sheep is a dazzling depiction of the power of money and the cruelty of life in nineteenth-century France.
Donald Adamson's translation captures the radical modernity of Balzac's style, while the introduction places The Black Sheep in context as one of the great novels of Balzac's renowned Comédie Humaine.
Donald Adamson's translation captures the radical modernity of Balzac's style, while the introduction places The Black Sheep in context as one of the great novels of Balzac's renowned Comédie Humaine.
339 pages, Paperback
First published April 17, 1842
About the author
Honoré de Balzac
9,042 books3,984 followersFrench writer Honoré de Balzac (born Honoré Balzac), a founder of the realist school of fiction, portrayed the panorama of society in a body of works, known collectively as
La comédie humaine
.
Honoré de Balzac authored 19th-century novels and plays. After the fall of Napoléon I Bonaparte in 1815, his magnum opus, a sequence of almost a hundred novels and plays, entitled, presents life in the years.
Due to keen observation of fine detail and unfiltered representation, European literature regards Balzac. He features renowned multifaceted, even complex, morally ambiguous, full lesser characters. Character well imbues inanimate objects; the city of Paris, a backdrop, takes on many qualities. He influenced many famous authors, including the novelists Marcel Proust, Émile Zola, Charles John Huffam Dickens, Gustave Flaubert, Henry James, and Jack Kerouac as well as important philosophers, such as Friedrich Engels. Many works of Balzac, made into films, continue to inspire.
An enthusiastic reader and independent thinker as a child, Balzac adapted with trouble to the teaching style of his grammar. His willful nature caused trouble throughout his life and frustrated his ambitions to succeed in the world of business. Balzac finished, and people then apprenticed him as a legal clerk, but after wearying of banal routine, he turned his back on law. He attempted a publisher, printer, businessman, critic, and politician before and during his career. He failed in these efforts. From his own experience, he reflects life difficulties and includes scenes.
Possibly due to his intense schedule and from health problems, Balzac suffered throughout his life. Financial and personal drama often strained his relationship with his family, and he lost more than one friend over critical reviews. In 1850, he married Ewelina Hańska, his longtime paramour; five months later, he passed away.
Honoré de Balzac authored 19th-century novels and plays. After the fall of Napoléon I Bonaparte in 1815, his magnum opus, a sequence of almost a hundred novels and plays, entitled, presents life in the years.
Due to keen observation of fine detail and unfiltered representation, European literature regards Balzac. He features renowned multifaceted, even complex, morally ambiguous, full lesser characters. Character well imbues inanimate objects; the city of Paris, a backdrop, takes on many qualities. He influenced many famous authors, including the novelists Marcel Proust, Émile Zola, Charles John Huffam Dickens, Gustave Flaubert, Henry James, and Jack Kerouac as well as important philosophers, such as Friedrich Engels. Many works of Balzac, made into films, continue to inspire.
An enthusiastic reader and independent thinker as a child, Balzac adapted with trouble to the teaching style of his grammar. His willful nature caused trouble throughout his life and frustrated his ambitions to succeed in the world of business. Balzac finished, and people then apprenticed him as a legal clerk, but after wearying of banal routine, he turned his back on law. He attempted a publisher, printer, businessman, critic, and politician before and during his career. He failed in these efforts. From his own experience, he reflects life difficulties and includes scenes.
Possibly due to his intense schedule and from health problems, Balzac suffered throughout his life. Financial and personal drama often strained his relationship with his family, and he lost more than one friend over critical reviews. In 1850, he married Ewelina Hańska, his longtime paramour; five months later, he passed away.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 146 reviews
May 7, 2021
On completing La Rabouilleuse, Balzac’s thirty-third in his series La Comédie Humaine, the thought that flew through my head was, “That is an accomplished piece of writing!”…not that I loved it. I was instead impressed by what the author had achieved.
First of all, there are many details and many strands and they come together well. Secondly, as a work of historical fiction describing the era of the Bourbon Restoration, the novel is exemplary.
The story is set both in Paris and Issoudun of the Loire Valley, primarily during the 1820s and 1830s. One of the central characters fought under Napoleon and was a staunch follower. He is a brave soldier, but also a drinker, a gambler and concerned only with himself. Money and high social standing are his goals. His brother, an artist, is a second important character. Their mother, Agathe, is a third. The book is essentially about the Bridau family, the mother Agathe Rouget Bridau and her two sons, the elder Philippe and the younger Joseph. It takes a while until the novel has zoomed in on these three.
First one must get through the beginning, pages of information detailing a large cast of characters, events and places. At the beginning I was swamped, and I struggled. People are mentioned, they die and are dropped. The large quantity of information is difficult to absorb. You quite simply do your best and hope that you have not missed something important. The tale that is told is complicated. Important information is provided, information that lies at the basis for what will follow. The father of the family spoken of is one of those who dies early in the book. Agathe’s elder brother, Jean-Jacques Rouget, is also important; keep an eye on him. Agathe was born in Issoudun and this is where Jean-Jacques is living.
Eventually you do get to the central plotline and excitement mounts. Much happens—there are thefts, duels, silly pranks that become successively dangerous and cruel. There are deaths caused by stabbings, neglect and murders hinted at.
The large quantity of details that weigh the story down at the beginning are important in understanding the story that unfolds. Moreover, these details make the book the excellent presentation of a passed era that it is.
The story has a clear message, well several. It demonstrates the shallowness of those born into or have sought and achieved high social standing. It draws extremely well the poverty that existed alongside the extravagances and riches of the well-to-do. It speaks of a mother’s preference for one son over another, regardless of that son’s worth. Love makes one blind, and that which we love most can be that which destroys us. Finally, it speaks of the position of art during the Bourbon Restoration Era.
The book is best seen as a depiction of and commentary on this era. This is for me the book’s best attribute and is why I am glad to have read the book. I did not become attached to any of the characters. The plot, when it finally unfolds, draws one’s interest, gains momentum and holds one’s attention. One is curious to see how the story will end.
Bill Homewood narrates the audiobook. I like how he speaks the French--the names, the places, the idioms, the everyday expressions. He captures well the milieu and the feel of the novel. The telling flows smoothly. I would have preferred a slower reading. The quality of the recording is in parts poor. The narration I have given three stars.
This book has so very much to absorb. I think having listened to it once, I would enjoy it more a second time around. Knowing the plot, one could more easily relax and simply suck on the descriptions of places and people. First time around one is too busy concentrating on plot essentials.
I will add one more point. The book’s French title is La Rabouilleuse, which refers to she who stirs up the water in a stream making it easier to catch crayfish. The rabouilleuse in the novel goes by the name of Flore Brazier. She is loved by Jean-Jacques Rouget. Remember? He is the brother of Agathe. The English translation by Donald Adamson titled the book The Black Sheep. The Two Brothers is a third title. The English titles shift the focus of the book onto the two Bridau brothers, which is where I personally think it belongs.
*********************
*Père Goriot 4 stars
*The Unknown Masterpiece 4 stars
*Cousin Bette 3 stars
*Eugénie Grandet 3 stars
*La Rabouilleuse 3 stars
*The Magic Skin TBR
*Lost Illusions TBR
First of all, there are many details and many strands and they come together well. Secondly, as a work of historical fiction describing the era of the Bourbon Restoration, the novel is exemplary.
The story is set both in Paris and Issoudun of the Loire Valley, primarily during the 1820s and 1830s. One of the central characters fought under Napoleon and was a staunch follower. He is a brave soldier, but also a drinker, a gambler and concerned only with himself. Money and high social standing are his goals. His brother, an artist, is a second important character. Their mother, Agathe, is a third. The book is essentially about the Bridau family, the mother Agathe Rouget Bridau and her two sons, the elder Philippe and the younger Joseph. It takes a while until the novel has zoomed in on these three.
First one must get through the beginning, pages of information detailing a large cast of characters, events and places. At the beginning I was swamped, and I struggled. People are mentioned, they die and are dropped. The large quantity of information is difficult to absorb. You quite simply do your best and hope that you have not missed something important. The tale that is told is complicated. Important information is provided, information that lies at the basis for what will follow. The father of the family spoken of is one of those who dies early in the book. Agathe’s elder brother, Jean-Jacques Rouget, is also important; keep an eye on him. Agathe was born in Issoudun and this is where Jean-Jacques is living.
Eventually you do get to the central plotline and excitement mounts. Much happens—there are thefts, duels, silly pranks that become successively dangerous and cruel. There are deaths caused by stabbings, neglect and murders hinted at.
The large quantity of details that weigh the story down at the beginning are important in understanding the story that unfolds. Moreover, these details make the book the excellent presentation of a passed era that it is.
The story has a clear message, well several. It demonstrates the shallowness of those born into or have sought and achieved high social standing. It draws extremely well the poverty that existed alongside the extravagances and riches of the well-to-do. It speaks of a mother’s preference for one son over another, regardless of that son’s worth. Love makes one blind, and that which we love most can be that which destroys us. Finally, it speaks of the position of art during the Bourbon Restoration Era.
The book is best seen as a depiction of and commentary on this era. This is for me the book’s best attribute and is why I am glad to have read the book. I did not become attached to any of the characters. The plot, when it finally unfolds, draws one’s interest, gains momentum and holds one’s attention. One is curious to see how the story will end.
Bill Homewood narrates the audiobook. I like how he speaks the French--the names, the places, the idioms, the everyday expressions. He captures well the milieu and the feel of the novel. The telling flows smoothly. I would have preferred a slower reading. The quality of the recording is in parts poor. The narration I have given three stars.
This book has so very much to absorb. I think having listened to it once, I would enjoy it more a second time around. Knowing the plot, one could more easily relax and simply suck on the descriptions of places and people. First time around one is too busy concentrating on plot essentials.
I will add one more point. The book’s French title is La Rabouilleuse, which refers to she who stirs up the water in a stream making it easier to catch crayfish. The rabouilleuse in the novel goes by the name of Flore Brazier. She is loved by Jean-Jacques Rouget. Remember? He is the brother of Agathe. The English translation by Donald Adamson titled the book The Black Sheep. The Two Brothers is a third title. The English titles shift the focus of the book onto the two Bridau brothers, which is where I personally think it belongs.
*********************
*Père Goriot 4 stars
*The Unknown Masterpiece 4 stars
*Cousin Bette 3 stars
*Eugénie Grandet 3 stars
*La Rabouilleuse 3 stars
*The Magic Skin TBR
*Lost Illusions TBR
December 20, 2019
A confusion of sheep; a sheep that is black is actually white and the white sheep happens to be black. Such are the brothers Philippe and Joseph (who are, according to translator Donald Adamson modelled on Balzac himself and his sibling Henri). Handsome Philippe, fair with blue eyes, is the antithesis of brother Joseph, small, dark and physically unattractive. Agathe Bridau, their mother and sole provider, can't help favouring son Philippe whose career in Napoleon's army has advanced rapidly so that the young man soon rises to the rank of colonel. On the other hand Joseph, to his mother's chagrin, is determined to be an artist - what a waste of space!* Agathe firmly believes in Joseph’s mediocrity regardless of being told in no uncertain terms on more than one occasion that Joseph is talented, kind and loving.
The story starts at the end of the eighteenth century, through to some time after Napoleon’s death. As Napoleon's fortunes plunge following his disastrous Russian campaign in 1812, so do those of Philippe and more and more he leads a dissolute life. Madame Descoigne who lives with Agathe and her two boys soon gambles away almost all their money on the lottery, as a result of which they have to live in very reduced circumstances. Things do not look good for the Bridau family. The unfortunate and frequently duped Agathe had previously been disinherited but now her brother, Jean-Jacques Rouget, who had inherited the family fortune has one foot in the grave and the other on the proverbial banana skin, and that with no heirs. So is there a possibility of the Bridau family inheriting his oodles of boodle? Not if Jean-Jacques's beautiful young mistress, Flore Brazier, can help it and certainly not if the ruthless young man with whom she is in love can help it. Maxence Gilet, also a soldier, is not someone to mess with.
#
Such is the background of the tale (into which Balzac inserts chunks of local history), but there are no spoilers above.
#
What we now have is a story in which one of two brothers is loved, the other not. There is an almighty battle by everyone concerned to get their hands on old Jean-Jacques's money. The two young military men (Philippe and Maxence) are both as mean as they come, and one of them soon meets his match. The other takes evil to new levels. Throw in some gambling, usury, greed and miserliness, malice, provincial small-mindedness, gross stupidity and mob credulity, and the scene is set for lots of action. Besides potential heirs there are other factions in the story, for example the Bonapartists vs the Bourbonists as well as locals vs outsiders (particularly Parisians!). There are also religious fanatics as opposed to those who lead a dissipated lifestyle. And of course there is the comparison between a "glorious" military career as opposed to the poverty to be expected from anyone stupid enough* to not only become an artist but to also follow intellectual pursuits.
However, it is the portrayal of the main players that steals the show in this tale where few people are what they seem. To briefly sum up the characters of the two main protagonists: ”In Philippe’s eyes, the whole universe began at his head and ended at his feet, and the sun shone only for him.", whilst for Joseph ”His own passion was ideal beauty in all its manifestations: he loved Byron’s poetry, Géricault’s painting, Rossini’s music and Sir Walter Scott’s novels."
While all this drama unfurls, Joseph paints.
#
*Not my personal opinion, but this is more or less how some of the characters see him.
The story starts at the end of the eighteenth century, through to some time after Napoleon’s death. As Napoleon's fortunes plunge following his disastrous Russian campaign in 1812, so do those of Philippe and more and more he leads a dissolute life. Madame Descoigne who lives with Agathe and her two boys soon gambles away almost all their money on the lottery, as a result of which they have to live in very reduced circumstances. Things do not look good for the Bridau family. The unfortunate and frequently duped Agathe had previously been disinherited but now her brother, Jean-Jacques Rouget, who had inherited the family fortune has one foot in the grave and the other on the proverbial banana skin, and that with no heirs. So is there a possibility of the Bridau family inheriting his oodles of boodle? Not if Jean-Jacques's beautiful young mistress, Flore Brazier, can help it and certainly not if the ruthless young man with whom she is in love can help it. Maxence Gilet, also a soldier, is not someone to mess with.
#
Such is the background of the tale (into which Balzac inserts chunks of local history), but there are no spoilers above.
#
What we now have is a story in which one of two brothers is loved, the other not. There is an almighty battle by everyone concerned to get their hands on old Jean-Jacques's money. The two young military men (Philippe and Maxence) are both as mean as they come, and one of them soon meets his match. The other takes evil to new levels. Throw in some gambling, usury, greed and miserliness, malice, provincial small-mindedness, gross stupidity and mob credulity, and the scene is set for lots of action. Besides potential heirs there are other factions in the story, for example the Bonapartists vs the Bourbonists as well as locals vs outsiders (particularly Parisians!). There are also religious fanatics as opposed to those who lead a dissipated lifestyle. And of course there is the comparison between a "glorious" military career as opposed to the poverty to be expected from anyone stupid enough* to not only become an artist but to also follow intellectual pursuits.
However, it is the portrayal of the main players that steals the show in this tale where few people are what they seem. To briefly sum up the characters of the two main protagonists: ”In Philippe’s eyes, the whole universe began at his head and ended at his feet, and the sun shone only for him.", whilst for Joseph ”His own passion was ideal beauty in all its manifestations: he loved Byron’s poetry, Géricault’s painting, Rossini’s music and Sir Walter Scott’s novels."
While all this drama unfurls, Joseph paints.
#
*Not my personal opinion, but this is more or less how some of the characters see him.
June 30, 2017
The novel begins in 1792 with a long and rather dull preamble givinge history to the Rouget family, and as it happens this is vital to understanding the last part of the tale. Agathe Rouget is the daughter of a rather nasty doctor, that seems to be putting it mildly, and Balzac laces the tale of Doctor Rouget and his unfortunate wife with innuendos. While Rouget, a petty domestic tyrant, dotes on his son and encourages Jean-Jacques’ very worst behaviour, he loathes Agathe as he suspects that she was fathered by another man. So when an opportunity arises to get rid of Agathe, the vindictive Rouget carts off his young daughter to Paris and the home of her maternal uncle, a grocer named Desgoings. Unfortunately, the grocer falls foul of the guillotine within a week of Agathe’s arrival, but then, Bridau, a minor official, falls in love with Agathe and they marry. The Bridaus have two boys Philippe and Joseph.
Through the passing years, Bridau a hard-working civil servant, seems to be working himself into a early grave serving under Napoleon. Bridau leaves his widow and two sons in modest circumstances but with a pension to keep them in simple, but genteel style. At this point in the story, the widow Desgoings makes the practical decision to move in with Agathe, her niece by marriage, so that they can pool their resources.
Despite the fact that Agathe has been effectively disinherited from her family, life should not be too unpleasant for Madame Bridau and her two sons, but human vices get in the way. Madame Desgoings turns out to have a gambling problem, and then the Bridau boys grow up….
All these family happenings are compressed into the early pages, the rest of the story is devoted to the Bridau brothers, Philippe and Joseph. Philippe grows up to become an appalling human being, and at first he seems to hit his stride as a rapidly advancing officer in Napoleon’s army. After the Battle of Waterloo, Philippe, now a colonel becomes just another of Napoleon’s bitter ex-officers, drinking in the local taverns, sporting with prostitutes, gambling money he borrows or steals from his family, and living beyond his means. In the meantime, Joseph, the less favoured but good son, becomes an artist.
Going by The Black sheep I am sure there are better Balzac novels, there are some pretty nasty individuals here that I couldn't wait to see the back of!, Balzac, uses the whole 'money is power' theme well and here we see the depths to which some people are prepared to sink in order to gain a fortune. While he is spot on target when it comes to the predictability of human nature, he shows a lack of respect for the reader in places after being distracted by endless details that kept recurring without adding anything that wasn't already there. I will read more Balzac, hopefully something where I don't spend half the time despising those within. 3.5/5
Through the passing years, Bridau a hard-working civil servant, seems to be working himself into a early grave serving under Napoleon. Bridau leaves his widow and two sons in modest circumstances but with a pension to keep them in simple, but genteel style. At this point in the story, the widow Desgoings makes the practical decision to move in with Agathe, her niece by marriage, so that they can pool their resources.
Despite the fact that Agathe has been effectively disinherited from her family, life should not be too unpleasant for Madame Bridau and her two sons, but human vices get in the way. Madame Desgoings turns out to have a gambling problem, and then the Bridau boys grow up….
All these family happenings are compressed into the early pages, the rest of the story is devoted to the Bridau brothers, Philippe and Joseph. Philippe grows up to become an appalling human being, and at first he seems to hit his stride as a rapidly advancing officer in Napoleon’s army. After the Battle of Waterloo, Philippe, now a colonel becomes just another of Napoleon’s bitter ex-officers, drinking in the local taverns, sporting with prostitutes, gambling money he borrows or steals from his family, and living beyond his means. In the meantime, Joseph, the less favoured but good son, becomes an artist.
Going by The Black sheep I am sure there are better Balzac novels, there are some pretty nasty individuals here that I couldn't wait to see the back of!, Balzac, uses the whole 'money is power' theme well and here we see the depths to which some people are prepared to sink in order to gain a fortune. While he is spot on target when it comes to the predictability of human nature, he shows a lack of respect for the reader in places after being distracted by endless details that kept recurring without adding anything that wasn't already there. I will read more Balzac, hopefully something where I don't spend half the time despising those within. 3.5/5
September 27, 2020
I love Balzac!
November 3, 2023
The Black Sheep (La Rabouilleuse) [1842/1970] – ★★★★★
The Black Sheep is an outstanding novel by Balzac (Lost Illusions [1837]) that tells of a remarkable battle for inheritance. At the centre of this story are two brothers, Joseph and Philippe, who could not be more different from each other, the modest and studious Joseph is the complete opposite of the bold and physically-imposing Philippe. They become the protagonists in the fight against their uncle’s supposed will to leave his fortune to mere strangers that coveted his attention for years. As in other novels, Balzac masterfully concocts a tale that is based on contrasts – the provincial life in Issoudun vs. the town life in Paris, the consequences of immense wealth vs. the results of poverty, the life of the upper classes vs. the destitution of the working class, while his moral spins around the fleeting nature of success, the extent of the individual ruthlessness and cunningness, and the consequences of a mother’s blind love for her child. More than any other Balzac novel, The Black Sheep is all about appearances often deceiving us and the fact that “a leopard never changes its spots”.
Similar to Lost Illusions, The Black Sheep is a tale of two regions – Parisian and the region of Issoudun, France. The time is the rule of the Committee of Public Safety (the tale begins at the time of its creation), and then the Napoleon and post-Napoleonic periods.
At the centre of the tale are Dr Rouget and his wife Madame Descoings, who have two children – Agathe and Jean-Jacques Rouget. When Agathe is disowned by her father and marries Bridau in Paris, she then has two sons Joseph and Philippe Bridau, while her father Dr Rouget amasses grand fortune from the brother of his wife Mr Descoings (he later wills it to his son Jean-Jacques Rouget). When both Joseph and Philippe fall in a situation close to destitution, Agathe is forced to reconsider he previous familial ties and return to his native Issoudun to plead with her brother Jean-Jacques for a share of the inheritance. However, Jean-Jacques Rouget already sees as his heiress the beautiful coquette Flore Brazier. Thus, the battle of first wits and then swords begins between provincial Flore and her suitor Max Gilet on the one hand, and more worldly Agathe, Joseph and Philippe Bridau on the other. Balzac turns on its head the perception of evil, and there are no truly minor characters in his novel. In the household of Bridau, villains emerge unexpectedly, and in the households of old Rouget and Hochon (Agatha’s godmother), there are also antagonists hiding in plain sight. So, the whole novel can never be considered a clear-cut battle between the camps of goodness and evil as Balzac is cleverer than that, and his layered plotting makes sure that even such “minor” characters as Monsieur Hochon and Madame Descoings are memorable.
One of the prominent themes of the novel is the fact that appearances sometimes deceive us, and what we perceive and admire as the prestigious and the successful may be far from our moral principles. In fact, Balzac makes it implicitly clear that societal and financial success does not always equate goodness and kindness. In fact, having this success may signal the opposite , since one often needs to be cunning and very self-interested to climb the societal ladder and be perceived as a “success” in society. Thus, the transformation of Philippe Bridau is fascinating in the novel, and it is precisely because others are blinded by idolatry in relation to him that he is becoming so powerful. “In Philippe’s eyes, the whole universe began at his head and ended at his feet, and the sun shone only for him” and “words cost him nothing: he threw out as many of them as people were prepared to believe” [Balzac/Adamson, 1842/1970: 62, 63]. The success of ruthlessness and calculation in society seems undeniable in Balzac’s world, as one character notes of Philipp: “If he decides to apply his profoundly perverse intellect to making a fortune, he will certainly succeed, for he is capable of anything, and people like him make rapid progress” [1842/1970: 311].
Since it is Balzac, a lot of attention is paid in The Black Sheep to the plight of artists and intellectuals, whose work remains undervalued and who go through all sorts of hardships in their lives. Joseph Bridau is a good person, but he struggles to make his living by painting alone and does become disillusioned with his career progress (since he chose a career “that demands the greatest talent, hardest sacrifices and longest study before leading to any results” [Balzac/Adamson, 1842/1970: 221]). There are no strong female characters in the novel (females are presented as being either devoted fools (Agathe) or greedy and cunning “creatures” (Flore)). However, Balzac explores admirably the theme of a parent-child relationship (“people who haven’t got any children miss a lot of pleasures, but they also avoid a lot of suffering”), and paints a convincing picture of what people will do for the love of another or out of their self-interest to escape poverty, meaning that the whole spectrum of the human nature (from selfless devotion to complete disregard for the feelings of others) is on display.
🏞️ Donald Adamson, translator of the novel from the French to the English, called The Black Sheep a historical novel, and this is for a reason. Balzac often tries to place his stories in a historical framework and a political situation at that time, giving it an additional compelling force. With his great attention to detail and immense insight into the human nature, the author tries to explore all the nuts and bolts of the financial misfortune befalling a once well-to-do family, and the actions it takes to better their circumstances. All the familial intrigues finally culminate in a dramatic showdown and an emotional ending.
The Black Sheep is an outstanding novel by Balzac (Lost Illusions [1837]) that tells of a remarkable battle for inheritance. At the centre of this story are two brothers, Joseph and Philippe, who could not be more different from each other, the modest and studious Joseph is the complete opposite of the bold and physically-imposing Philippe. They become the protagonists in the fight against their uncle’s supposed will to leave his fortune to mere strangers that coveted his attention for years. As in other novels, Balzac masterfully concocts a tale that is based on contrasts – the provincial life in Issoudun vs. the town life in Paris, the consequences of immense wealth vs. the results of poverty, the life of the upper classes vs. the destitution of the working class, while his moral spins around the fleeting nature of success, the extent of the individual ruthlessness and cunningness, and the consequences of a mother’s blind love for her child. More than any other Balzac novel, The Black Sheep is all about appearances often deceiving us and the fact that “a leopard never changes its spots”.
Similar to Lost Illusions, The Black Sheep is a tale of two regions – Parisian and the region of Issoudun, France. The time is the rule of the Committee of Public Safety (the tale begins at the time of its creation), and then the Napoleon and post-Napoleonic periods.
At the centre of the tale are Dr Rouget and his wife Madame Descoings, who have two children – Agathe and Jean-Jacques Rouget. When Agathe is disowned by her father and marries Bridau in Paris, she then has two sons Joseph and Philippe Bridau, while her father Dr Rouget amasses grand fortune from the brother of his wife Mr Descoings (he later wills it to his son Jean-Jacques Rouget). When both Joseph and Philippe fall in a situation close to destitution, Agathe is forced to reconsider he previous familial ties and return to his native Issoudun to plead with her brother Jean-Jacques for a share of the inheritance. However, Jean-Jacques Rouget already sees as his heiress the beautiful coquette Flore Brazier. Thus, the battle of first wits and then swords begins between provincial Flore and her suitor Max Gilet on the one hand, and more worldly Agathe, Joseph and Philippe Bridau on the other. Balzac turns on its head the perception of evil, and there are no truly minor characters in his novel. In the household of Bridau, villains emerge unexpectedly, and in the households of old Rouget and Hochon (Agatha’s godmother), there are also antagonists hiding in plain sight. So, the whole novel can never be considered a clear-cut battle between the camps of goodness and evil as Balzac is cleverer than that, and his layered plotting makes sure that even such “minor” characters as Monsieur Hochon and Madame Descoings are memorable.
One of the prominent themes of the novel is the fact that appearances sometimes deceive us, and what we perceive and admire as the prestigious and the successful may be far from our moral principles. In fact, Balzac makes it implicitly clear that societal and financial success does not always equate goodness and kindness. In fact, having this success may signal the opposite , since one often needs to be cunning and very self-interested to climb the societal ladder and be perceived as a “success” in society. Thus, the transformation of Philippe Bridau is fascinating in the novel, and it is precisely because others are blinded by idolatry in relation to him that he is becoming so powerful. “In Philippe’s eyes, the whole universe began at his head and ended at his feet, and the sun shone only for him” and “words cost him nothing: he threw out as many of them as people were prepared to believe” [Balzac/Adamson, 1842/1970: 62, 63]. The success of ruthlessness and calculation in society seems undeniable in Balzac’s world, as one character notes of Philipp: “If he decides to apply his profoundly perverse intellect to making a fortune, he will certainly succeed, for he is capable of anything, and people like him make rapid progress” [1842/1970: 311].
Since it is Balzac, a lot of attention is paid in The Black Sheep to the plight of artists and intellectuals, whose work remains undervalued and who go through all sorts of hardships in their lives. Joseph Bridau is a good person, but he struggles to make his living by painting alone and does become disillusioned with his career progress (since he chose a career “that demands the greatest talent, hardest sacrifices and longest study before leading to any results” [Balzac/Adamson, 1842/1970: 221]). There are no strong female characters in the novel (females are presented as being either devoted fools (Agathe) or greedy and cunning “creatures” (Flore)). However, Balzac explores admirably the theme of a parent-child relationship (“people who haven’t got any children miss a lot of pleasures, but they also avoid a lot of suffering”), and paints a convincing picture of what people will do for the love of another or out of their self-interest to escape poverty, meaning that the whole spectrum of the human nature (from selfless devotion to complete disregard for the feelings of others) is on display.
🏞️ Donald Adamson, translator of the novel from the French to the English, called The Black Sheep a historical novel, and this is for a reason. Balzac often tries to place his stories in a historical framework and a political situation at that time, giving it an additional compelling force. With his great attention to detail and immense insight into the human nature, the author tries to explore all the nuts and bolts of the financial misfortune befalling a once well-to-do family, and the actions it takes to better their circumstances. All the familial intrigues finally culminate in a dramatic showdown and an emotional ending.
February 23, 2021
'The Black Sheep' by Honoré de Balzac is fun and interesting and frustrating all at the same time. Fun because it's a 19th-century soap opera describing the foibles of three generations of a family. Interesting because it has the multidimensional depths of a literary novel. Frustrating because scoundrels are abetted by their victims who help the scoundrels drag their victims down like non-swimmers drowning the swimmers trying to save them.
Characters and personalities drive the story front and foremost. Place comes second in affecting behaviors along with politics and money underlying all motivations, even if some characters bow reluctantly to these social pressures.
Jean-Jacques Rouget inherits his father Dr. Rouget's property in the small French town of Issoudun and all of his considerable pile of money. Dr. Rouget left his daughter, Agathe, with nothing because he believes she is the daughter of another man. She is sent to Paris to live with relatives, the Descoings. Unfortunately for the Descoings who had been doing quite well as grocery store owners, Robespierre ordered the husband guillotined for cornering food supplies, a falsehood. Agathe marries Bridau, a secretary to the Minister of the Interior. Agathe is a well-meaning woman, but simple. She lives with her aunt Madame Descoing after her husband dies from overwork. She has two sons, Philippe and Joseph Bridau. It is these two sons the book is mostly about, along with their circle of friends and enemies. Their adventures lead them from Paris to Issoudun, from the Descoings apartment in a big city to their uncle Jean-Jacques’ establishment in a small provincial town.
Philippe is a cruel selfish monster but very handsome in appearance. Joseph is a kind man but very ugly. Philippe earns accolades and much love as a soldier. Joseph becomes an artist, painting pictures which are admired by fellow painters. Joseph is unloved by his mother, Agathe. She showers Philippe with affection and all of her money. Philippe drains her dry of her fortune since he is a scoundrel, a drunkard, a gambler and a womanizer. Additionally, since he is a Bonapartist, he is on the wrong side politically of France's new government, the Bourbons, who take over from Napoleon after Napoleon is banished from France. Joseph earns his own way, first by taking on small jobs to pay for his education as an artist, and later by selling his paintings. He lives very modestly, while his brother Philippe lives off of his mother and later off of his friends and whatever work his mother Agathe tries to get for him.
So. Tension and agro increases between the brothers, and between the rich childless uncle in Issoudun and the poor Paris nephews hoping to inherit rich uncle Jean-Jacques’ wealth. It gets worse when uncle Jean-Jacques takes home a beautiful child who grows into a beautiful woman as a servant, Flore Brazier, “the fisherwoman”. Flore eventually realizes she has a lot of power over the besotted Jean-Jacques, who is becoming senile on top of being in love with her. Flore schemes to inherit Jean-Jacques' money while secretly, and then not so secretly, joining forces and perhaps, her loins, to another rascal military man living in Issoudun, Maxence Gilet, in 1816.
Life becomes a roller coaster as the characters struggle against each other for the Rouget inheritance and in the political mayhem caused by the succeeding governments of France. As this is a literary novel, the personalities of the characters are also very interesting. And maybe sad.
Characters and personalities drive the story front and foremost. Place comes second in affecting behaviors along with politics and money underlying all motivations, even if some characters bow reluctantly to these social pressures.
Jean-Jacques Rouget inherits his father Dr. Rouget's property in the small French town of Issoudun and all of his considerable pile of money. Dr. Rouget left his daughter, Agathe, with nothing because he believes she is the daughter of another man. She is sent to Paris to live with relatives, the Descoings. Unfortunately for the Descoings who had been doing quite well as grocery store owners, Robespierre ordered the husband guillotined for cornering food supplies, a falsehood. Agathe marries Bridau, a secretary to the Minister of the Interior. Agathe is a well-meaning woman, but simple. She lives with her aunt Madame Descoing after her husband dies from overwork. She has two sons, Philippe and Joseph Bridau. It is these two sons the book is mostly about, along with their circle of friends and enemies. Their adventures lead them from Paris to Issoudun, from the Descoings apartment in a big city to their uncle Jean-Jacques’ establishment in a small provincial town.
Philippe is a cruel selfish monster but very handsome in appearance. Joseph is a kind man but very ugly. Philippe earns accolades and much love as a soldier. Joseph becomes an artist, painting pictures which are admired by fellow painters. Joseph is unloved by his mother, Agathe. She showers Philippe with affection and all of her money. Philippe drains her dry of her fortune since he is a scoundrel, a drunkard, a gambler and a womanizer. Additionally, since he is a Bonapartist, he is on the wrong side politically of France's new government, the Bourbons, who take over from Napoleon after Napoleon is banished from France. Joseph earns his own way, first by taking on small jobs to pay for his education as an artist, and later by selling his paintings. He lives very modestly, while his brother Philippe lives off of his mother and later off of his friends and whatever work his mother Agathe tries to get for him.
So. Tension and agro increases between the brothers, and between the rich childless uncle in Issoudun and the poor Paris nephews hoping to inherit rich uncle Jean-Jacques’ wealth. It gets worse when uncle Jean-Jacques takes home a beautiful child who grows into a beautiful woman as a servant, Flore Brazier, “the fisherwoman”. Flore eventually realizes she has a lot of power over the besotted Jean-Jacques, who is becoming senile on top of being in love with her. Flore schemes to inherit Jean-Jacques' money while secretly, and then not so secretly, joining forces and perhaps, her loins, to another rascal military man living in Issoudun, Maxence Gilet, in 1816.
Life becomes a roller coaster as the characters struggle against each other for the Rouget inheritance and in the political mayhem caused by the succeeding governments of France. As this is a literary novel, the personalities of the characters are also very interesting. And maybe sad.
May 28, 2015
Produced by John Bickers, and Dagny, and David Widger
Translator: Katharine Prescott Wormeley
Missing from the Gutenberg frontpage is the original title: La Rabouilleuse
Plot summary from wiki: The action of the novel is divided between Paris and Issoudun. Agathe Rouget, who was born in Issoudun, is sent to be raised by her maternal relatives, the Descoings in Paris by her father Doctor Rouget. She suspects (wrongly) that he is not her true father. There she marries a man named Bridau, and they have two sons, Philippe, and Joseph. Monsieur Bridau dies relatively young, Philippe, who is the eldest and his mother's favourite, becomes a soldier in Napoleon's armies, and Joseph becomes an artist. Philippe, the elder son is shown to be a courageous soldier, but is also a heavy drinker and gambler. He resigns from the army after the Bourbon Restoration out of loyalty to Napoleon. Joseph is a dedicated artist, and the more loyal son, but his mother does not understand his artistic vocation.
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1380
Looks delish!
Opening: In 1792 the townspeople of Issoudun enjoyed the services of a physician named Rouget, whom they held to be a man of consummate malignity. Were we to believe certain bold tongues, he made his wife extremely unhappy, although she was the most beautiful woman of the neighborhood. Perhaps, indeed, she was rather silly. But the prying of friends, the slander of enemies, and the gossip of acquaintances, had never succeeded in laying bare the interior of that household. Doctor Rouget was a man of whom we say in common parlance, "He is not pleasant to deal with." Consequently, during his lifetime, his townsmen kept silence about him and treated him civilly. His wife, a demoiselle Descoings, feeble in health during her girlhood (which was said to be a reason why the doctor married her), gave birth to a son, and also to a daughter who arrived, unexpectedly, ten years after her brother, and whose birth took the husband, doctor though he were, by surprise. This late-comer was named Agathe.
Inclement weather and the soothing sound of both washer and drier in action meant I hunkered down under the settee quilt with my ipad to finish off this tale. Another great character observation by the rough diamond pen of Balzac.
Checking up on the title was something of an eye-opener:
'La Rabouilleuse' is the nickname of Flore Brazier used behind her back by the people of Issoudun. Max takes offence when some of his friends use it in conversation. Adamson translates the term as "the Fisherwoman". From the French Wiki of this page, it appears that it is a regional word for someone who stirs up the water in a river, more easily to catch fish such as crayfish. "(En français régional, une personne qui agite et trouble l’eau pour effrayer les écrevisses et les pêcher plus facilement)". The nickname is a reference to the job that she did as a young girl when helping her uncle to fish for crayfish, before becoming a servant to the Rouget household. The English title of the book therefore moves the focus from her to the two brothers. - wiki
I once mentioned to Dagny that embarking on Balzac will only happen once Zola was complete, yet I don't seem to be doing too badly at 3.5* average per book:
3* Cousin Bette
3* The Unknown Masterpiece
4* The Mysterious Mansion
2* Honorine
TR Pere Goriot
TR Eugénie Grandet
Translator: Katharine Prescott Wormeley
Missing from the Gutenberg frontpage is the original title: La Rabouilleuse
Plot summary from wiki: The action of the novel is divided between Paris and Issoudun. Agathe Rouget, who was born in Issoudun, is sent to be raised by her maternal relatives, the Descoings in Paris by her father Doctor Rouget. She suspects (wrongly) that he is not her true father. There she marries a man named Bridau, and they have two sons, Philippe, and Joseph. Monsieur Bridau dies relatively young, Philippe, who is the eldest and his mother's favourite, becomes a soldier in Napoleon's armies, and Joseph becomes an artist. Philippe, the elder son is shown to be a courageous soldier, but is also a heavy drinker and gambler. He resigns from the army after the Bourbon Restoration out of loyalty to Napoleon. Joseph is a dedicated artist, and the more loyal son, but his mother does not understand his artistic vocation.
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1380 Looks delish!Opening: In 1792 the townspeople of Issoudun enjoyed the services of a physician named Rouget, whom they held to be a man of consummate malignity. Were we to believe certain bold tongues, he made his wife extremely unhappy, although she was the most beautiful woman of the neighborhood. Perhaps, indeed, she was rather silly. But the prying of friends, the slander of enemies, and the gossip of acquaintances, had never succeeded in laying bare the interior of that household. Doctor Rouget was a man of whom we say in common parlance, "He is not pleasant to deal with." Consequently, during his lifetime, his townsmen kept silence about him and treated him civilly. His wife, a demoiselle Descoings, feeble in health during her girlhood (which was said to be a reason why the doctor married her), gave birth to a son, and also to a daughter who arrived, unexpectedly, ten years after her brother, and whose birth took the husband, doctor though he were, by surprise. This late-comer was named Agathe.
Inclement weather and the soothing sound of both washer and drier in action meant I hunkered down under the settee quilt with my ipad to finish off this tale. Another great character observation by the rough diamond pen of Balzac.
Checking up on the title was something of an eye-opener:
'La Rabouilleuse' is the nickname of Flore Brazier used behind her back by the people of Issoudun. Max takes offence when some of his friends use it in conversation. Adamson translates the term as "the Fisherwoman". From the French Wiki of this page, it appears that it is a regional word for someone who stirs up the water in a river, more easily to catch fish such as crayfish. "(En français régional, une personne qui agite et trouble l’eau pour effrayer les écrevisses et les pêcher plus facilement)". The nickname is a reference to the job that she did as a young girl when helping her uncle to fish for crayfish, before becoming a servant to the Rouget household. The English title of the book therefore moves the focus from her to the two brothers. - wiki
I once mentioned to Dagny that embarking on Balzac will only happen once Zola was complete, yet I don't seem to be doing too badly at 3.5* average per book:
3* Cousin Bette
3* The Unknown Masterpiece
4* The Mysterious Mansion
2* Honorine
TR Pere Goriot
TR Eugénie Grandet
May 31, 2015
Justice is served, in the end. What a great book!
April 8, 2016
From BBC radio 4 - Classical Serial:
Chris Dolan's dramatisation of Honore de Balzac's entertaining tale of family rivalry and fortunes lost and won, set in 19th-century France.
After Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, Philippe Bridau becomes a reckless gambler who steals from his mother to finance his obsession. She foolishly continues to idolise him, and it is left to his more dependable brother Joseph to rescue the family from destitution.
Narrator ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Philippe Bridau ...... Thomas Arnold
Joseph Bridau ...... Mathew Pidgeon
Agathe Bridau ...... Briony McRoberts
Madame Descoings ...... Phyllida Law
Desroches ...... Jon Glover
Monsieur Hochon ...... Christian Rodska
Madame Hochon ...... Colette O'Neil
Max Gilet ...... Alan Cox
Baruch ...... Nyasha Hatendi
Giroudeau ...... David Holt
Mariette ...... Liz Sutherland
Directed by Bruce Young.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00czqt0
Chris Dolan's dramatisation of Honore de Balzac's entertaining tale of family rivalry and fortunes lost and won, set in 19th-century France.
After Napoleon's defeat at Waterloo, Philippe Bridau becomes a reckless gambler who steals from his mother to finance his obsession. She foolishly continues to idolise him, and it is left to his more dependable brother Joseph to rescue the family from destitution.
Narrator ...... Geoffrey Whitehead
Philippe Bridau ...... Thomas Arnold
Joseph Bridau ...... Mathew Pidgeon
Agathe Bridau ...... Briony McRoberts
Madame Descoings ...... Phyllida Law
Desroches ...... Jon Glover
Monsieur Hochon ...... Christian Rodska
Madame Hochon ...... Colette O'Neil
Max Gilet ...... Alan Cox
Baruch ...... Nyasha Hatendi
Giroudeau ...... David Holt
Mariette ...... Liz Sutherland
Directed by Bruce Young.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00czqt0
July 8, 2024
Unul dintre cele mai bune romane ale lui Balzac a apărut la noi cu titlul Pescuitoarea în apă tulbure în traducerea poetului Virgil Teodorescu, mai exact la finalul anului 1987 în volumul Comedia Umană 6, la câteva luni după moartea poetului român. Din păcate, hârtia pe care a fost tipărită cartea este absolut infectă (suntem în anii de glorie ai societății socialiste multilateral dezvoltate, România lui Ceaușescu era singura țară din lume obsedată să achite datoriile externe în totalitate, calitatea vieții se prăbușise îngrozitor, așa că nu avem de ce să fim mirați de condițiile în care erau tipărite atunci cărțile) și, tot din păcate, romanul nu a fost niciodată reeditat ulterior.
Acțiunea cărții se desfășoară atât la Issoudun, cât și la Paris, având ca punct de plecare un personaj absolut sinistru, doctorul Rouget din Issoudun, care se poartă mizerabil cu soția sa, deoarece o suspectează pe nedrept că l-a înșelat. Cei doi au un băiat, Jean-Jacques, un biet idiot, și o fată, Agathe, de care tatăl său se descotorosește trimițând-o la Paris, întrucât bănuiește pe nedrept că nu e copilul său.
Balzac îi abandonează pentru moment pe cei doi Rouget, tatăl și fiul, mergând pe urmele vieții fetei de la Paris: Agathe se căsătorește cu un funcționar sârguincios aflat în slujba lui Napoleon, cu care va avea doi băieți, Philippe și Joseph, însă, din păcate pentru ea și copii, va deveni văduvă în 1808. Cei doi fraţi au caractere complet opuse, Philippe fiind un ticălos pursânge, în timp ce Joseph are o fire foarte blândă. De altfel, viitorul pictor Joseph Bridau este un personaj care apare în numeroase opusuri ale Comediei Umane, romanul de față fiind un puternic element de legătură cu numeroase alte opere ale lui Balzac (de exemplu, poate fi privit ca un prequel pentru Un debut în viață) și, mai mult decât atât, Joseph este un fel de alter ego al autorului. Prin intermediul lui Philippe, scriitorul francez ne va introduce în miezul luxului parizian, al plăcerilor "care măgulesc simțurile și vanitatea", în timp ce Joseph ne va duce în lumea creatorilor și artiștilor autentici.
Însă, intriga romanului se va reîntoarce în forță la Issoudun, cititorului fiindu-i prezentată eroina ce dă titlul romanului, Flore Brazier, poreclită Pescuitoarea în apă tulbure, dar și un adevărat complot menit să o excludă încă o dată pe Agathe de la moștenirea mamei sale.
Concluzia este simplă: deși nu este o carte la fel de celebră precum Moș Goriot sau Eugénie Grandet, La Rabouilleuse este, fără îndoială, o altă capodoperă a lui Balzac. ��n plus, dat fiind faptul că au trecut treizeci și șapte de ani de la ultima apariție (prima traducere a apărut în anul 1962 și îi aparține Rosei Hefter) poate că va intra în atenția editurilor pentru a fi reeditată. Lectură plăcută!
Acțiunea cărții se desfășoară atât la Issoudun, cât și la Paris, având ca punct de plecare un personaj absolut sinistru, doctorul Rouget din Issoudun, care se poartă mizerabil cu soția sa, deoarece o suspectează pe nedrept că l-a înșelat. Cei doi au un băiat, Jean-Jacques, un biet idiot, și o fată, Agathe, de care tatăl său se descotorosește trimițând-o la Paris, întrucât bănuiește pe nedrept că nu e copilul său.
Balzac îi abandonează pentru moment pe cei doi Rouget, tatăl și fiul, mergând pe urmele vieții fetei de la Paris: Agathe se căsătorește cu un funcționar sârguincios aflat în slujba lui Napoleon, cu care va avea doi băieți, Philippe și Joseph, însă, din păcate pentru ea și copii, va deveni văduvă în 1808. Cei doi fraţi au caractere complet opuse, Philippe fiind un ticălos pursânge, în timp ce Joseph are o fire foarte blândă. De altfel, viitorul pictor Joseph Bridau este un personaj care apare în numeroase opusuri ale Comediei Umane, romanul de față fiind un puternic element de legătură cu numeroase alte opere ale lui Balzac (de exemplu, poate fi privit ca un prequel pentru Un debut în viață) și, mai mult decât atât, Joseph este un fel de alter ego al autorului. Prin intermediul lui Philippe, scriitorul francez ne va introduce în miezul luxului parizian, al plăcerilor "care măgulesc simțurile și vanitatea", în timp ce Joseph ne va duce în lumea creatorilor și artiștilor autentici.
Însă, intriga romanului se va reîntoarce în forță la Issoudun, cititorului fiindu-i prezentată eroina ce dă titlul romanului, Flore Brazier, poreclită Pescuitoarea în apă tulbure, dar și un adevărat complot menit să o excludă încă o dată pe Agathe de la moștenirea mamei sale.
Concluzia este simplă: deși nu este o carte la fel de celebră precum Moș Goriot sau Eugénie Grandet, La Rabouilleuse este, fără îndoială, o altă capodoperă a lui Balzac. ��n plus, dat fiind faptul că au trecut treizeci și șapte de ani de la ultima apariție (prima traducere a apărut în anul 1962 și îi aparține Rosei Hefter) poate că va intra în atenția editurilor pentru a fi reeditată. Lectură plăcută!
March 24, 2015
Philippe Bridau turns out to be nearly as diabolic as Vautrin. I'd guess this excellent example of what makes Balzac so addicting is overlooked even by Balzac enthusiasts. It deserves to rank beside some of his best work, such as 'The Vicar of Tours,' 'Colonel Chabert,' and 'Les Employees,' masterpieces that are only a hair's breadth beneath his absolute best 'Eugenie Grandet' and 'Lost Illusions.'
July 30, 2022
Among Balzac's novels, this is maybe not really a five star book. It's not quite Lost Illusions or Pere Goriot, but I loved it. It reminded me of how great a writer Balzac was and how so many others that I read and enjoy pale in comparison. His characters are so real. They jump from the page. And the story pulls me along. When I got to the last 150 pages, I couldn't put it down, but had to keep pushing on to see where it all went, though the outcome held few surprises. And I love how the characters from his other books hang out around the edges - Lousteau, Rubempre, Rastingnac, Birotteau, and I'm sure that there are others that I missed. It's truly La Comédie humaine.
The story of the two brothers is classic. It's not Cain and Abel, not quite an evil twin story, but certainly Philippe is aggressive, ambititious, entitled, and essentially lazy, thinking only of himself and readily sacrificing everyone around him to the gratification of his own appetites, but these qualities also make him a fine soldier and the only one in the family capable of seizing control when the family fortune is about to fall into the hands of Max and La Rabouilleuse. Joseph, on the other kind, is meek and kind. He is immensely talented as an artist, but seemingly incapable of making others appreciate his artistry. He's clearly a better person than Philippe, but a helpless lamb. The world can't run without both Josephs and Philippes.
The story of the two brothers is classic. It's not Cain and Abel, not quite an evil twin story, but certainly Philippe is aggressive, ambititious, entitled, and essentially lazy, thinking only of himself and readily sacrificing everyone around him to the gratification of his own appetites, but these qualities also make him a fine soldier and the only one in the family capable of seizing control when the family fortune is about to fall into the hands of Max and La Rabouilleuse. Joseph, on the other kind, is meek and kind. He is immensely talented as an artist, but seemingly incapable of making others appreciate his artistry. He's clearly a better person than Philippe, but a helpless lamb. The world can't run without both Josephs and Philippes.
November 27, 2013
No, I haven't read through the entire Human Comedy, but having gone through around 10 volumes qualifies me (I think) to declare this one of the better books in the series. In fact, it was terrific. Is there an overabundance of melodrama? You bet. But the same is true of many of my favorite authors (I almost choked to death on Dickens' Little Nell--perhaps the most prolonged death scene in all literature). You have to swallow the bad with the good--or the good with the great. Balzac wrote some sensationally bad stuff, but overall I think he's probably the greatest--James Joyce's opinion notwithstanding.
September 22, 2019
تقابل خیر و شر و کتابی جذاب
March 15, 2024
What a barn-burner of a book!! Six stars!!! It’s been a while since I have stayed up all night and half a day to finish — something I never expected with Balzac. Perhaps I’ll write more after I’ve slept….
One addition — this translation by Adamson is perfection….
One addition — this translation by Adamson is perfection….
April 18, 2017
I had long considered Balzac my favorite author but somehow or other, wound up having gone a long time without reading anything by him. I guess I got distracted by other works. On reading the lesser-known less-discussed work, I see I've been away from Honore for much too long. This reminded me why I admire his work as much as I do.
It's part of his humongous human comedy series and as with some others, this one touches both sides of the Paris-versus-Provinces divide that so fascinated Balzac. Fans will recognize many supporting characters who play varying roles in other works. He recycles characters quite a bit, but if you're new to Balzac, don't worry about it. Unlike many who write multi-novel series, with Balzac, each one can and does stand on its own.
The protagonists here are brothers Phillipe and Joseph Bridau, a soldier and artist respectively, and their mother Agathe. At the center of it all is Agathe's differing regard for the two brothers and a family inheritance that found its way into the hands of Agathe's a**-hole estranged brother. Naturally, and predictably, there's a struggle for the money. But how it plays out is wildly unpredictable and an example of how watching people go through their lives can be the greatest of all spectator sports. Hence the name for the series; the Human Comedy.
I'm not sure why this gem isn't as well known as others in the series. Maybe it has something to do with variations in the title. Some call it "The Black Sheep." Other call it "The Two Brothers." Still others refer to it as "La Rabouillese" which does not translate to anything like brothers or black sheep but is instead a nickname attached to the femme fatale of the novel and I'll allow Balzac to explain the name; I couldn't do it justice.
It's part of his humongous human comedy series and as with some others, this one touches both sides of the Paris-versus-Provinces divide that so fascinated Balzac. Fans will recognize many supporting characters who play varying roles in other works. He recycles characters quite a bit, but if you're new to Balzac, don't worry about it. Unlike many who write multi-novel series, with Balzac, each one can and does stand on its own.
The protagonists here are brothers Phillipe and Joseph Bridau, a soldier and artist respectively, and their mother Agathe. At the center of it all is Agathe's differing regard for the two brothers and a family inheritance that found its way into the hands of Agathe's a**-hole estranged brother. Naturally, and predictably, there's a struggle for the money. But how it plays out is wildly unpredictable and an example of how watching people go through their lives can be the greatest of all spectator sports. Hence the name for the series; the Human Comedy.
I'm not sure why this gem isn't as well known as others in the series. Maybe it has something to do with variations in the title. Some call it "The Black Sheep." Other call it "The Two Brothers." Still others refer to it as "La Rabouillese" which does not translate to anything like brothers or black sheep but is instead a nickname attached to the femme fatale of the novel and I'll allow Balzac to explain the name; I couldn't do it justice.
July 8, 2020
(The Human Comedy 21/98)
Balzac, you old dog. Just when I'd become reconciled to my journey through The Human Comedy being largely one of sparkles within mediocrity and my better reviews being qualified as "good ... for Balzac", he springs this on me.
What a wonderfully entertaining yarn this was. Yes, it has Balzac's inevitable faults of requiring a 50-plus page preamble where he sets the scene in meticulous detail and every character as we go through requires his or her life story from birth to be served to you, but here those tales are part of the enjoyment. And the main story itself, about regaining the wrongly-pilfered inheritance back in Issoundun, jolts and races along like Dumas at his very very best. The bad behaviour is believably bad (and truly bad) and the characters for most part are given realistic backgrounds and incentives to their behaviour. Nobody is a saint and nobody is truly a devil.
This novel rates right up there with Pere Goriot in the Balzac canon. It's definitely given me new hope that I don't have 70 more works to wade through merely searching for crumbs of interest.
As with most of Balzac's works, however, this comes under a seeming endless array of alternative titles. The original French title, "La Rabouilleuse", has been replaced in English by "The Two Brothers" (the version that I read), "A Bachelor's Establishment" and "The Black Sheep", it's also been filmed as both "Honour in the Family" and "The Opportunists". Tracking down which work exactly is next on your list, is part of the mystery of getting through The Human Comedy.
Balzac, you old dog. Just when I'd become reconciled to my journey through The Human Comedy being largely one of sparkles within mediocrity and my better reviews being qualified as "good ... for Balzac", he springs this on me.
What a wonderfully entertaining yarn this was. Yes, it has Balzac's inevitable faults of requiring a 50-plus page preamble where he sets the scene in meticulous detail and every character as we go through requires his or her life story from birth to be served to you, but here those tales are part of the enjoyment. And the main story itself, about regaining the wrongly-pilfered inheritance back in Issoundun, jolts and races along like Dumas at his very very best. The bad behaviour is believably bad (and truly bad) and the characters for most part are given realistic backgrounds and incentives to their behaviour. Nobody is a saint and nobody is truly a devil.
This novel rates right up there with Pere Goriot in the Balzac canon. It's definitely given me new hope that I don't have 70 more works to wade through merely searching for crumbs of interest.
As with most of Balzac's works, however, this comes under a seeming endless array of alternative titles. The original French title, "La Rabouilleuse", has been replaced in English by "The Two Brothers" (the version that I read), "A Bachelor's Establishment" and "The Black Sheep", it's also been filmed as both "Honour in the Family" and "The Opportunists". Tracking down which work exactly is next on your list, is part of the mystery of getting through The Human Comedy.
January 5, 2015
My experience with 19th Century literature is still very spotty, and this is the only Balzac novel I have read (so far), so take my comments with a grain of salt. I have read books from this era that showed a greater understanding of human nature ( I'm thinking Eliot and Zola ) but not many that were as as much fun to read. There is a wonderful cast of characters here, many of them charismatically rotten, and a plot that moves quite briskly and ends with a duel with sabres. Excellent! I was not expecting such a well plotted yarn, and was pleasantly surprised.
Why do I still expect the classics to be boring? Why am I always surprised when they kick ass?
Why do I still expect the classics to be boring? Why am I always surprised when they kick ass?
April 29, 2020
Great novel, disturbing but enchanting!
June 24, 2024
4.5
Great one. Should be called The Two Brothers. First half is gold. Second half changes pace/location/characters, first plot eventually circles back around but takes a long time. Feels too much like two books mushed together for a five star
Great one. Should be called The Two Brothers. First half is gold. Second half changes pace/location/characters, first plot eventually circles back around but takes a long time. Feels too much like two books mushed together for a five star
September 5, 2014
This is one of Balzac's longer stories, carefully plotted to achieve a satisfying resolution. It's the tale of two brothers utterly unlike each other, and how The Fates reward good and evil. It is didactic to some extent, but also entertaining, particularly towards the end when it becomes a bit of a page-turner...
Joseph, the younger brother, is an unattractive man blessed with the dubious talent of being a great painter. Although he gets commissions from the rich and powerful (and will earn himself a place in art history) the bourgeois don't like his work and this consigns him to an uncertain income for most of his life and poverty during the early stages of his career. His father, a civil servant, died of overwork under Napoleon and his widowed mother Agathe has no money thanks to the craftiness of her brother, Jean-Jacques Rouget who lives on the family estate in Issoudun.
Philippe, on the other hand is handsome, stylish and heroic. He joins the military and impresses Napoleon. He is dissolute and wasteful and forever scrounging money from his mother and brother to pay his gambling debts, a position which gets worse when he stays loyal to Napoleon and refuses to serve the Bourbons (who reduce his pay).
One thing leads to another and Philippe ends up in serious trouble because he is suspected of being involved in plots but he remains the apple of his mother's eye. So when he is destitute and at risk of execution for treason she and Joseph set off for Issoudun to seek help from Jean-Jacques.
Up to this point the story has been a fairly predictable morality tale, but from here on it becomes more and more interesting. Jean-Jacques is now in his late fifties and in thrall to Flore, his father's ward, a peasant girl that he adopted because she took his fancy. (He died before anything nefarious happened to her). Flore looks after Jean-Jacques' every need on condition that Max, her fancyman and a real ratbag, lives in the house too. He doesn't marry her, much as he would like to, because he fears that once she has access to his money she will do a bunk with Max and go to Paris.
Max, a former captain now with nothing worthwhile to do, surreptitiously leads a gang of hooligans who entertain themselves destroying other people's property and poisoning dogs for fun. He is determined to get hold of Jean-Jacques' money and plans to use Flore to get it. He is thought to be the 'natural' son of old Rouget so people are well-disposed towards him, little realising that he leads the gang that torments the community. Agathe and Joseph, despite the support of the Hochons next door, are no match for these two, and eventually they go back to Paris with nothing to show for their pains.
Philippe, meanwhile, has been convicted of conspiracy and sentenced to exile in a place called Auten, but thanks to the intervention of Desroche, a retired but still influential bureaucrat who's remained a friend of the family, the place of exile is switched to Issoudun. Yes, it's a case of 'set a thief to catch a thief' and the chicanery that takes place while Philippe tries to oust Flore and Max is complex but vastly entertaining. (I bet this story's been made into a film!)
But, as the cliché says, leopards don't change their spots and Philippe celebrates his success by casting off his guise of sensible citizen and returning to Paris to behave as badly as before, breaking his foolish mother's heart and enraging Joseph.
Does he get his revenge? You'll have to read the book to find out!
Joseph, the younger brother, is an unattractive man blessed with the dubious talent of being a great painter. Although he gets commissions from the rich and powerful (and will earn himself a place in art history) the bourgeois don't like his work and this consigns him to an uncertain income for most of his life and poverty during the early stages of his career. His father, a civil servant, died of overwork under Napoleon and his widowed mother Agathe has no money thanks to the craftiness of her brother, Jean-Jacques Rouget who lives on the family estate in Issoudun.
Philippe, on the other hand is handsome, stylish and heroic. He joins the military and impresses Napoleon. He is dissolute and wasteful and forever scrounging money from his mother and brother to pay his gambling debts, a position which gets worse when he stays loyal to Napoleon and refuses to serve the Bourbons (who reduce his pay).
One thing leads to another and Philippe ends up in serious trouble because he is suspected of being involved in plots but he remains the apple of his mother's eye. So when he is destitute and at risk of execution for treason she and Joseph set off for Issoudun to seek help from Jean-Jacques.
Up to this point the story has been a fairly predictable morality tale, but from here on it becomes more and more interesting. Jean-Jacques is now in his late fifties and in thrall to Flore, his father's ward, a peasant girl that he adopted because she took his fancy. (He died before anything nefarious happened to her). Flore looks after Jean-Jacques' every need on condition that Max, her fancyman and a real ratbag, lives in the house too. He doesn't marry her, much as he would like to, because he fears that once she has access to his money she will do a bunk with Max and go to Paris.
Max, a former captain now with nothing worthwhile to do, surreptitiously leads a gang of hooligans who entertain themselves destroying other people's property and poisoning dogs for fun. He is determined to get hold of Jean-Jacques' money and plans to use Flore to get it. He is thought to be the 'natural' son of old Rouget so people are well-disposed towards him, little realising that he leads the gang that torments the community. Agathe and Joseph, despite the support of the Hochons next door, are no match for these two, and eventually they go back to Paris with nothing to show for their pains.
Philippe, meanwhile, has been convicted of conspiracy and sentenced to exile in a place called Auten, but thanks to the intervention of Desroche, a retired but still influential bureaucrat who's remained a friend of the family, the place of exile is switched to Issoudun. Yes, it's a case of 'set a thief to catch a thief' and the chicanery that takes place while Philippe tries to oust Flore and Max is complex but vastly entertaining. (I bet this story's been made into a film!)
But, as the cliché says, leopards don't change their spots and Philippe celebrates his success by casting off his guise of sensible citizen and returning to Paris to behave as badly as before, breaking his foolish mother's heart and enraging Joseph.
Does he get his revenge? You'll have to read the book to find out!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2021
A comedic dark drama about warring family members fighting for an inheritance. Balzac really tore up his fellow Parisians for their obsession with money. His characters become grotesque as they scheme and claw their way up the social ladder. This novel juxtaposed two brothers at extreme ends of the spectrum: Joseph, a passionate artist who is an innocent, decent young man, and Philippe, a very successful soldier in Napoleon’s army, and a greedy, conceited douchebag with bad habits who doesn’t care about anyone but himself. Balzac says life is cruel in a fabulously entertaining way. As always the witticisms peppered throughout were a delight.
April 20, 2014
Really Fantastic Story - my favorite so far, but not far ahead of Lost Illusions. Translated by Donald Adamson - didn't care for his translation - slang translated to some kind of early 18th century cockney-esque accent and sentences were choppy and sometimes didn't make sense. Exceptional story and a quick read.
April 1, 2019
The Guardian placed Honoré de Balzac's The Black Sheep at #12 on its list of the "100 Greatest Novels of All Time." This is the only Balzac work that appears on the list, and it seems to me that Père Goriot (which is the Balzac work that most often appears on similar lists) is much more deserving of that spot than The Black Sheep, which is -- like most of Balzac's works -- heavy on melodrama (he would have been a great writer of telenovelas), but light in terms of substance. It has some recurring characters who appear elsewhere in the Human Comedy, and this is one of the rich aspects of Balzac's work, generally speaking, that we meet characters again and again, at different junctures in their lives and we have the opportunity to see them from different angles. But aside from a clever joke here and there and the occasional witty line of dialogue, this work doesn't have the same powerful prose that one finds in Goriot, nor does the story have the same weight, though both deal effectively with money and ambition. The characters here seem flimsier, more one-dimensional, the plot more contrived.
In Goriot Balzac writes, "The secret of great fortunes without apparent cause is a crime forgotten, for it was properly done." And indeed this line could well sum up a great many of Balzac's stories, including The Black Sheep, and a good deal of human history to boot. The Black Sheep is a story of ambition, a story of who will get the family inheritance, a story of good struggling to win in a sea of evil. But more than any of that, and perhaps its greatest strength, it is the story of Balzac himself, the young artist trying to win the favor of his mother over his scoundrel of a brother.
Aside from the autobiographical strain, I could find little else that set it apart from or above other Balzac works. We follow the money as it changes hands, as one character's wiles direct the inheritance to go one way or another, just as the plot turns this way and that, but what value the story has as entertainment, as a worthy piece among the whole of the Human Comedy, it lacks in terms of overall literary value.
In Goriot Balzac writes, "The secret of great fortunes without apparent cause is a crime forgotten, for it was properly done." And indeed this line could well sum up a great many of Balzac's stories, including The Black Sheep, and a good deal of human history to boot. The Black Sheep is a story of ambition, a story of who will get the family inheritance, a story of good struggling to win in a sea of evil. But more than any of that, and perhaps its greatest strength, it is the story of Balzac himself, the young artist trying to win the favor of his mother over his scoundrel of a brother.
Aside from the autobiographical strain, I could find little else that set it apart from or above other Balzac works. We follow the money as it changes hands, as one character's wiles direct the inheritance to go one way or another, just as the plot turns this way and that, but what value the story has as entertainment, as a worthy piece among the whole of the Human Comedy, it lacks in terms of overall literary value.
September 17, 2017
An enjoyable book to read. The story of a family with one side reduced to poverty In Paris. The story revolves around two brothers. Phillipe a soldier and black sheep of the family and Joseph the other brother an artist. There mother Agathe who is not the sharpest card in the deck with misplaced loyalties.
The stories plot is around getting an inheritance from Agathe's brother and preventing another black sheep also a soldier called Max getting it. He is the lover of her brothers housekeeper who is trying to steal the inheritance. The chapters are easy to read with the humorous exploits of both black sheep and also the duel of wits between the two villains.
A great read.
The stories plot is around getting an inheritance from Agathe's brother and preventing another black sheep also a soldier called Max getting it. He is the lover of her brothers housekeeper who is trying to steal the inheritance. The chapters are easy to read with the humorous exploits of both black sheep and also the duel of wits between the two villains.
A great read.
July 5, 2021
Balzac's The Black Sheep, also known as "Two Brothers" is the last of his "Les Celibataires" series in his Human Comedy masterpiece. We see the family history of the artist, Joseph Bridau, who is sprinkled about throughout "The Human Comedy". I remember his working in Comte de Serizy's chateau and that the Comte helped his brother that was in trouble, in "A Start in Life". Reading this series many characters are mentioned throughout as all have their part to play. We see Joseph's brother who is indeed "The Black Sheep". As I was reading my feelings changed slightly for Philippe but Joseph stayed the same except more adoration for the painter.
Balzac shows us the Napoleonic soldier and their devotion to their leader during and after his fall. He also shows how parents can show favoritism to certain off springs and the results of this. Devotion is not always reciprocated. Society favors those who have money and how they obtained it is not of real coincidence. Balzac gives us examples of two despicable characters and I started to rout for one, though I did not like him but then I realized my folly both should have lost all. Though one could really go on and on about the genius of Balzac, my final comment is his thoughts and his portrayal of the lottery and it's effect on the small time gambler.
"Les Celibataires" series shows the general unhappiness of these characters, love wanted but not returned.
The next two quotes are from The Delphi Collection of his works which give an overview.
"Un ménage de garçon is an 1842 novel, featuring characters from the previous novels Pierrette, La Vieille Fille and Le Curé de Tours."
"The narrative concerns the family of the deceased Dr. Rouget, who was married to the beautiful Issoudun, though he doubted her fidelity. They had had a son, Jean-Jacques, and ten years later a daughter, Agathe, that Dr. Rouget believed was actually the daughter of his friend Lousteau. Mme Rouget’s best friend and confidante was M. Lousteau’s sister, Madame Hochon who is also Agathe’s godmother."
Quotes-
"That Maxence, you are right enough, is dangerous. He is another Philippe, but of a different calibre. The scoundrel makes his vices serve his fortunes, and gets his amusement gratis; whereas your brother’s follies are never useful to him."
“Why do you suppose that he will not succeed by honest means?” demanded Madame Bridau. “You will see!” exclaimed Desroches. “Fortunate or unfortunate, Philippe will remain the man of the rue Mazarin, the murderer of Madame Descoings, the domestic thief. But don’t worry yourself; he will manage to appear honest to the world.”
"No one has understood this opium of poverty. The lottery, all-powerful fairy of the poor, bestowed the gift of magic hopes. The turn of the wheel which opens to the gambler a vista of gold and happiness, lasts no longer than a flash of lightning, but the lottery gave five days’ existence to that magnificent flash. What social power can to-day, for the sum of five sous, give us five days’ happiness and launch us ideally into all the joys of civilization?"
Looking forward to the next story!💕💕💖
💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢���💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻spoiler alert🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻🔻
Illness made this story take longer but when I finally finished, I loved how Balzac had finally made Agathe see by the way of her priest telling her that she had but one son who loved her and was a true son to her, though he was ugly and a puzzle to her ideas, she had put all her love for Philippe, the son who hoped she would die, so that he could marry without embarrassment. Joseph, the painter though looking like a brute was honorable and good. Looks can deceive. I thought Philippe after gaining his uncle's fortune would help his family in their poverty but once again he showed his true colors of self interest and a blackguard.
Max and Phillipe, which one was worse? It is hard to say but though Max was cruel, I think Philippe wins by a tad because of his ruthless ways which included helping hastening his wife's death without care or regret. His loss of money when the financial men get hold of his to gain for themselves but destroy him, perfect comeuppance. Dying on the battlefield without help, a perfect ending.
I was happy that Joseph had a happy ending.
I always liked Joseph and did not like Philippe but thought he would help his family after he gained his uncle's money but he was worse or the same as Max. Agathe is send away not to the liking of her mother but the father's desire. She is sent to her mother's brother's store and after her uncle talks too much about certain French Revolution leaders, his customer told on him and eventually was executed, though his wife tried to help him. The clerk that was helping, Bridaus who falls in love with Agathe and marries her and have two sons but he works himself to death; before the couple refused to pursue her father's money which her brother inherits. Agathe lives with a cousin that looks a lot younger than she really is which is not known till later after the money the widows, Madame Descoings, pull she keeps using to gamble on lotteries which ruin Agathe too. Agathe favorite is her son; the soldier Philippe who is not as kind hearted as artist brother; Joseph who is not as good looking as Philippe. Philippe returns from the Texas adventure that turned into a mistake and Joseph helps him return with money by selling paintings but his brother treats him with limited respect and his mother thinks Philippe is like a god. Philippe has a job with a paper which will not last a year. He drinks and gambles; is a strong Napoleon supporter who refuses to help the Bourbons. Philippe's embezzlement is covered by his family and old friend who make excuses for him; ruining his mother and stealing from Joseph who sees his deeds which are of a scoundrel. Finally Agathe sees her Philippe for what he really is; he stole Madame Desconings' trey money and her silver was pawned. Philippe lost almost all and Desconings' trey finally came up but all was lost after many years invested and the shock killed her. Joseph tried to help with his secret money but her numbers were too late. Agathe sends Philippe away after Desconings' death and sells her things for her to work and tells Philippe he must make his own way. Philippe has stolen a painting of Joseph and brings despair to his family. A friend of his tries to get money for Philippe's care from the mother. Agathe in looking to help Philippe by giving money to stay out jail. Agathe's brother has all the inheritance. The Kinghts of Idleness; young men and Max of Issoudun bring havoc and fear to the community through their actions. Flore was a beautiful peasant girl that Rouget had the young girl live with him. She was to be his but being older Rouget was too to have her. Flore's history of how she came to Doctor Rouget; he finds her with her uncle looking for crabs and her beauty makes him want her as a mistress but the age is too great and he dies leaving Jean-Jacques the heir. Jean loves her but his timidity and imbecilic has Flore who is not very educated but smart rule over him. Flore sees Max and falls in love him. She convinces Jean to let this fallen soldier who is his half brother and to live with them. Madame Hochon writes to Agathe about her brother Jean Jacques affairs and Flore who rules him. Agathe and Joseph are coming and Flore upsets Rouget's life by making cold words and gestures which upset him and listening to Max and Flore will not let his sister take any of his money. Agathe and Joseph arrive and the plan of Max and Flore is to be nice but not let Jean-Jacques give way to his sister. Since Joseph is no beauty the town is a little afraid of him; Monsieur Honchon tries to offer advice because he wants these guest to leave sooner and his wife not to change her will because he wants all that is hers. Joseph has taken the pictures but tells the price before the nephews of Hochon and all know. Max and Flore are taking Jean-Jacques to liquidate his money without him knowing. Agathe can not see her brother alone. The trick played the farmer miser of pigeons and rats to his grain is found out and he looks to spy on the gang. Joseph is excused of stealing the art from his uncle; and he vows to give it back. Agathe is told to stay and Joseph is to leave to his work. Joseph and Agathe go back to Paris which makes Max happy. He accused Joseph of trying to kill him but then recended after Joseph had an alibi. Philippe is helped by the family lawyer to have his sentence to Issoudun and told about Max and to try to win his family's inheritance. Phillipe has Fario and other military friends on his side. Eyes are on all movements and Hochon is told about his spying nephews who are sent away by their uncle. Max and Flore are determined to get power of attorney from Jean-Jacques. Philippe finds out the scheme of Flore running away to get power of attorney to Max. She comes back because all is spoiled but tries to get Max and her to go to America but he is determined to fight a duel and kill Philippe. Philippe wins the duel but is injured as well as Flore is in a fever which the doctor tells her to repent her ways. Philippe puts on an act which fools all but after getting Flore to marry his uncle, he gets power of attorney and tells Flore he is watching her which she is afraid of him; a year after his uncle's death, he will marry her. He decides to go back to be a soldier. Philippe marries Flore after he had brought his uncle to Paris, which the excesses killed him. He introduces Flore to fashionable women, then after she likes the lifestyle, leaves her penniless, so she turns to sell herself and drinks. He wants to marry a noble but Joseph's friend tells the lady's father of his evilness. Agathe is told by the priest that she loved the wrong son and how Joseph was true but Philippe wanted his mother dead and refused to see her. Flore writes to Joseph on needing help for a hospital and he and his friends help her but it is too late. Philippe has money men fleece him of money which he wanted them to help increase. He goes into the regiment but he can not raise rank because he is bad mouthed. He dies in battle without help. Joseph marries a farmer's daughter and the Rouget estate comes to him plus the paintings he loved.
Balzac shows us the Napoleonic soldier and their devotion to their leader during and after his fall. He also shows how parents can show favoritism to certain off springs and the results of this. Devotion is not always reciprocated. Society favors those who have money and how they obtained it is not of real coincidence. Balzac gives us examples of two despicable characters and I started to rout for one, though I did not like him but then I realized my folly both should have lost all. Though one could really go on and on about the genius of Balzac, my final comment is his thoughts and his portrayal of the lottery and it's effect on the small time gambler.
"Les Celibataires" series shows the general unhappiness of these characters, love wanted but not returned.
The next two quotes are from The Delphi Collection of his works which give an overview.
"Un ménage de garçon is an 1842 novel, featuring characters from the previous novels Pierrette, La Vieille Fille and Le Curé de Tours."
"The narrative concerns the family of the deceased Dr. Rouget, who was married to the beautiful Issoudun, though he doubted her fidelity. They had had a son, Jean-Jacques, and ten years later a daughter, Agathe, that Dr. Rouget believed was actually the daughter of his friend Lousteau. Mme Rouget’s best friend and confidante was M. Lousteau’s sister, Madame Hochon who is also Agathe’s godmother."
Quotes-
"That Maxence, you are right enough, is dangerous. He is another Philippe, but of a different calibre. The scoundrel makes his vices serve his fortunes, and gets his amusement gratis; whereas your brother’s follies are never useful to him."
“Why do you suppose that he will not succeed by honest means?” demanded Madame Bridau. “You will see!” exclaimed Desroches. “Fortunate or unfortunate, Philippe will remain the man of the rue Mazarin, the murderer of Madame Descoings, the domestic thief. But don’t worry yourself; he will manage to appear honest to the world.”
"No one has understood this opium of poverty. The lottery, all-powerful fairy of the poor, bestowed the gift of magic hopes. The turn of the wheel which opens to the gambler a vista of gold and happiness, lasts no longer than a flash of lightning, but the lottery gave five days’ existence to that magnificent flash. What social power can to-day, for the sum of five sous, give us five days’ happiness and launch us ideally into all the joys of civilization?"
Looking forward to the next story!💕💕💖
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Illness made this story take longer but when I finally finished, I loved how Balzac had finally made Agathe see by the way of her priest telling her that she had but one son who loved her and was a true son to her, though he was ugly and a puzzle to her ideas, she had put all her love for Philippe, the son who hoped she would die, so that he could marry without embarrassment. Joseph, the painter though looking like a brute was honorable and good. Looks can deceive. I thought Philippe after gaining his uncle's fortune would help his family in their poverty but once again he showed his true colors of self interest and a blackguard.
Max and Phillipe, which one was worse? It is hard to say but though Max was cruel, I think Philippe wins by a tad because of his ruthless ways which included helping hastening his wife's death without care or regret. His loss of money when the financial men get hold of his to gain for themselves but destroy him, perfect comeuppance. Dying on the battlefield without help, a perfect ending.
I was happy that Joseph had a happy ending.
I always liked Joseph and did not like Philippe but thought he would help his family after he gained his uncle's money but he was worse or the same as Max. Agathe is send away not to the liking of her mother but the father's desire. She is sent to her mother's brother's store and after her uncle talks too much about certain French Revolution leaders, his customer told on him and eventually was executed, though his wife tried to help him. The clerk that was helping, Bridaus who falls in love with Agathe and marries her and have two sons but he works himself to death; before the couple refused to pursue her father's money which her brother inherits. Agathe lives with a cousin that looks a lot younger than she really is which is not known till later after the money the widows, Madame Descoings, pull she keeps using to gamble on lotteries which ruin Agathe too. Agathe favorite is her son; the soldier Philippe who is not as kind hearted as artist brother; Joseph who is not as good looking as Philippe. Philippe returns from the Texas adventure that turned into a mistake and Joseph helps him return with money by selling paintings but his brother treats him with limited respect and his mother thinks Philippe is like a god. Philippe has a job with a paper which will not last a year. He drinks and gambles; is a strong Napoleon supporter who refuses to help the Bourbons. Philippe's embezzlement is covered by his family and old friend who make excuses for him; ruining his mother and stealing from Joseph who sees his deeds which are of a scoundrel. Finally Agathe sees her Philippe for what he really is; he stole Madame Desconings' trey money and her silver was pawned. Philippe lost almost all and Desconings' trey finally came up but all was lost after many years invested and the shock killed her. Joseph tried to help with his secret money but her numbers were too late. Agathe sends Philippe away after Desconings' death and sells her things for her to work and tells Philippe he must make his own way. Philippe has stolen a painting of Joseph and brings despair to his family. A friend of his tries to get money for Philippe's care from the mother. Agathe in looking to help Philippe by giving money to stay out jail. Agathe's brother has all the inheritance. The Kinghts of Idleness; young men and Max of Issoudun bring havoc and fear to the community through their actions. Flore was a beautiful peasant girl that Rouget had the young girl live with him. She was to be his but being older Rouget was too to have her. Flore's history of how she came to Doctor Rouget; he finds her with her uncle looking for crabs and her beauty makes him want her as a mistress but the age is too great and he dies leaving Jean-Jacques the heir. Jean loves her but his timidity and imbecilic has Flore who is not very educated but smart rule over him. Flore sees Max and falls in love him. She convinces Jean to let this fallen soldier who is his half brother and to live with them. Madame Hochon writes to Agathe about her brother Jean Jacques affairs and Flore who rules him. Agathe and Joseph are coming and Flore upsets Rouget's life by making cold words and gestures which upset him and listening to Max and Flore will not let his sister take any of his money. Agathe and Joseph arrive and the plan of Max and Flore is to be nice but not let Jean-Jacques give way to his sister. Since Joseph is no beauty the town is a little afraid of him; Monsieur Honchon tries to offer advice because he wants these guest to leave sooner and his wife not to change her will because he wants all that is hers. Joseph has taken the pictures but tells the price before the nephews of Hochon and all know. Max and Flore are taking Jean-Jacques to liquidate his money without him knowing. Agathe can not see her brother alone. The trick played the farmer miser of pigeons and rats to his grain is found out and he looks to spy on the gang. Joseph is excused of stealing the art from his uncle; and he vows to give it back. Agathe is told to stay and Joseph is to leave to his work. Joseph and Agathe go back to Paris which makes Max happy. He accused Joseph of trying to kill him but then recended after Joseph had an alibi. Philippe is helped by the family lawyer to have his sentence to Issoudun and told about Max and to try to win his family's inheritance. Phillipe has Fario and other military friends on his side. Eyes are on all movements and Hochon is told about his spying nephews who are sent away by their uncle. Max and Flore are determined to get power of attorney from Jean-Jacques. Philippe finds out the scheme of Flore running away to get power of attorney to Max. She comes back because all is spoiled but tries to get Max and her to go to America but he is determined to fight a duel and kill Philippe. Philippe wins the duel but is injured as well as Flore is in a fever which the doctor tells her to repent her ways. Philippe puts on an act which fools all but after getting Flore to marry his uncle, he gets power of attorney and tells Flore he is watching her which she is afraid of him; a year after his uncle's death, he will marry her. He decides to go back to be a soldier. Philippe marries Flore after he had brought his uncle to Paris, which the excesses killed him. He introduces Flore to fashionable women, then after she likes the lifestyle, leaves her penniless, so she turns to sell herself and drinks. He wants to marry a noble but Joseph's friend tells the lady's father of his evilness. Agathe is told by the priest that she loved the wrong son and how Joseph was true but Philippe wanted his mother dead and refused to see her. Flore writes to Joseph on needing help for a hospital and he and his friends help her but it is too late. Philippe has money men fleece him of money which he wanted them to help increase. He goes into the regiment but he can not raise rank because he is bad mouthed. He dies in battle without help. Joseph marries a farmer's daughter and the Rouget estate comes to him plus the paintings he loved.
February 21, 2024
3.5☆
Phillippe certainly was a black sheep! Though his grandfather and uncle weren't much better so he was true to his heritage, lol!
I think this may be a 4* book (I especially liked the ending) but it deserves a reread at a time when I am less scattered for me to judge that properly... and perhaps a different translation.
Phillippe certainly was a black sheep! Though his grandfather and uncle weren't much better so he was true to his heritage, lol!
I think this may be a 4* book (I especially liked the ending) but it deserves a reread at a time when I am less scattered for me to judge that properly... and perhaps a different translation.
May 13, 2017
Plus vers les 3,75 disons. :-) Du bon Balzac qui se dévore sans qu'on se rende compte.
November 6, 2019
Λίγο βαρετό...
June 27, 2020
One of my preferred Balzac novels so far. Just like in Cousin Bette, Balzac paints the personalities and lives of a whole series of characters. who all are related or come into contact with one another. Some characters are beautiful but naive, others seem to have been dealt lesser cards in life, but try to work their way up in society. And then there are the true scheming scoundrels. The Black Sheep, or The Two Brothers as the book is also called at times, follows a family and dedicates most of its pages to the brothers Philippe and Joseph. The older makes a career in the army and is a true scoundrel, the younger becomes an artist and is the most gentle and ethical creature. As always with Balzac, gathering money and means in life is the driving force of most of the plot. But I highly enjoyed the contrast between the brothers, and the truly shocking tricks and shambolics Philippe resorts to, to get where he wants. Balzac does not dictate the reader moral lessons; he lets you encounter situations through his writing and makes you feel the emotions, as if you were there. I highly enjoyed this book.
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