Dans une pension miteuse de la rue Neuve-Sainte Geneviève, la maison Vauquer, se côtoient des habitués du quartier. Parmi eux, Eugène de Rastignac, d'une famille noble et désar gentée venu faire son droit à Paris. Il rêve de s'introduire dans la bonne société. Dans sa quête des hautes sphères, il découvrira le secret du père Goriot et toisera alors la largeur de la misérable vanité des hommes.
This is a timeless classic. I can tell just by the premise of this book that the exploration of the selfish human nature is the only law. Not love, not commitment, not generosity, no sympathy, no empathy. These are just excuses for the fact that humans are motivated by their self interest.
In this particular masterpiece, the story follows Eugène de Rastignac, a young law student who arrives in Paris with dreams of wealth and status. He lodges at Madame Vauquer’s boarding house, where he meets Père Goriot, a once-wealthy merchant now living in poverty after sacrificing everything for his two ungrateful daughters, Anastasie and Delphine.
Rastignac, eager to rise in society, gets drawn into Parisian high society through Delphine, Goriot’s daughter, while also being influenced by the cynical criminal Vautrin, who tries to push him toward a darker path to success.
As Goriot’s health deteriorates, he remains obsessed with his daughters, who ultimately abandon him. He dies in misery, realizing too late that his love was one-sided. Meanwhile, Rastignac, witnessing the harsh reality of ambition and selfishness, stands over Paris and declares, “À nous deux, maintenant!” (“It’s between you and me now!”), signaling his determination to conquer Paris.
La bande dessinée retranscrit bien l'histoire et je n'ai rien à dire dessus mais l'histoire de base m'énerve quelques fois. C'est normal pour l'époque me direz vous mais c'est vraiment un livre écrit par un homme misogyne. Les femmes sont présentées comme perfides et mauvaise entre elles. Et les hommes n'aiment que les femmes pour leur beauté.
Read this in school when I was a teen for my French literature classes. Tough read, pretty high level for a 16 yo, I enjoyed it, but it was long and tedious for a teenager haha.