Bursts of Brilliance in the Second Half
Honore de Balzac’s The Magic Skin is a novel by this highly productive French author. Raphael was a young dejected poet who wandered into an old curiosity shop in Paris. On learning that Raphael intended to commit suicide, the shopkeeper showed him The Magic Skin, a mysterious talisman made of wild ass’s skin. On it was engraved some ancient script that promised granting every and any wish at the expense of health of its possessor. Ignoring the shopkeeper’s warnings, Raphael took the skin to satisfy his ravish desires. As his wishes came true, however, he saw in horror the gradual shrinking of the skin and with it, his life.
The Magic Skin is one of these novels that start with a tedious climb but, once the reader gets over the first half, offer rewarding views of the human panorama. Balzac had been named The French Dickens and earned his fame through detailed and painfully realistic depiction of society. It seems that the author was still testing his skills and developing his style at this early novel. The opening scene of the gambling house was crisp and to the point: Raphael lost everything. The intricate descriptions of the curiosity shop that followed were intriguing at first, but as Balzac went on and on, gave the taste of “too much of a good thing is bad”. The subsequent ballroom scene was a prime representation of extravagance and debauchery of trendy society, but again, felt much longer than necessary (I caught myself skimming).
[...eh... why do I have the feeling I'm missing a paragraph?? Sorry, will have to reread to patch it.]
This is a novel far from perfect, but it offers glimpses of a literary genius. I look forward to reading more mature pieces by the same author.
Honore de Balzac’s The Magic Skin is a novel by this highly productive French author. Raphael was a young dejected poet who wandered into an old curiosity shop in Paris. On learning that Raphael intended to commit suicide, the shopkeeper showed him The Magic Skin, a mysterious talisman made of wild ass’s skin. On it was engraved some ancient script that promised granting every and any wish at the expense of health of its possessor. Ignoring the shopkeeper’s warnings, Raphael took the skin to satisfy his ravish desires. As his wishes came true, however, he saw in horror the gradual shrinking of the skin and with it, his life.
The Magic Skin is one of these novels that start with a tedious climb but, once the reader gets over the first half, offer rewarding views of the human panorama. Balzac had been named The French Dickens and earned his fame through detailed and painfully realistic depiction of society. It seems that the author was still testing his skills and developing his style at this early novel. The opening scene of the gambling house was crisp and to the point: Raphael lost everything. The intricate descriptions of the curiosity shop that followed were intriguing at first, but as Balzac went on and on, gave the taste of “too much of a good thing is bad”. The subsequent ballroom scene was a prime representation of extravagance and debauchery of trendy society, but again, felt much longer than necessary (I caught myself skimming).
[...eh... why do I have the feeling I'm missing a paragraph?? Sorry, will have to reread to patch it.]
This is a novel far from perfect, but it offers glimpses of a literary genius. I look forward to reading more mature pieces by the same author.
