Read this when
Père Goriot
Gave his daughters every last coin. They sent empty carriages to his funeral. Balzac said: boundaries, please. 🥀
Who it's for
Balzac sets two stories side by side in a shabby boarding house: old Goriot, who has impoverished himself for his daughters, and young Rastignac, learning what Paris demands.
Sad→Clear-Headed
Feelings it meets
What it is
Père Goriot (Le Père Goriot) is a novel by Honoré de Balzac, serialized in the Revue de Paris in 1834–1835 and published as a book in March 1835.
Where to find it
Public domain in the US (1835 French original and older translations such as Ellen Marriage's 'Father Goriot', free on Project Gutenberg). Modern translations in print and via libraries (Libby/Hoopla).
Before you start
Heads up: A father's lonely, drawn-out death.
Age: Ages 14+
I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will,Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre, Chapter 23
