Honoré de Balzac, César Birotteau

Peter Wagstaff (University of Bath)
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Published in 1837,

César Birotteau

had preoccupied Balzac for much of the previous six years, with repeated references, in correspondence with friends and publishers, to the novel’s progress and claims of its imminent completion. In an extensive preface, written in 1834, to the

Études philosophiques

, of which

César Birotteau

was to

form a part, Félix Davin, the novelist and poet writing at Balzac’s instigation and under his direction, paid tribute to a novel that was still, at that point, in embryonic form at best. Its inclusion under the heading of

Études philosophiques

was an early indication, however, of the role Balzac intended for it in the architecture of the

Comédie humaine

as a whole. César Birotteau was to be seen as the “type parfait du négociant probe” [“the…

3371 words

Citation: Wagstaff, Peter. "César Birotteau". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 27 November 2017 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=11196, accessed 19 March 2024.]

11196 César Birotteau 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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