Beatrix: Balzac

[poliphilo]

Balzac's novels do rather feel as if they've been thrown together. This one- for example- begins as a study of the Breton landscape and character, turns into a melodrama of thwarted love- featuring a character based on George Sand- and ends up as a story of Parisian intrigue. There are two ways of looking at this: you could say Balzac lacks artistry or- my preference- that he's full of surprises.