Classic Novels Library

The Collection of Antiquities

The Collection of Antiquities

by Balzac, Honoré de, 1799-1850

BookID: 1405

Language:English

Translator:Marriage, Ellen, 1865-1946

Reading Level:Reading ease score: 67.0 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.

Copyright Status:Public domain in the USA.

French fiction -- Translations into English

Description

"The Collection of Antiquities" by Honoré de Balzac is a novel published in 1838. Set in provincial France after the Revolution, it portrays impoverished old nobility clinging to past glory while neglected by the restored monarchy. The story follows young Victurien d'Esgrignon, a charming but deceitful youth who drains his devoted family's meager resources. When sent to Paris, his lies and reckless spending spiral into debts and potential imprisonment, creating suspense that borders on crime fiction as those who love him scramble to save him from ruin. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

Class:PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese

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