An Episode Under the Terror
Episode Under the Terror is a short story by Honoré de Balzac, first published in 1831. It is set during the French Revolution and tells the story of a young woman, Mlle. de Verneuil, who is arrested and imprisoned during the Reign of Terror. The story begins with Mlle. de Verneuil being arrested and taken to prison. She is interrogated by a revolutionary tribunal and accused of being a royalist. Despite her protests of innocence, she is sentenced to death. Mlle. de Verneuil is taken to the guillotine, but at the last minute, her sentence is commuted to life imprisonment. She is sent to the prison of La Force, where she meets a fellow prisoner, M. de Valmont. M. de Valmont helps Mlle. de Verneuil to cope with her imprisonment and they eventually fall in love. However, their relationship is threatened when M. de Valmont is released from prison. Mlle. de Verneuil is eventually released from prison and reunited with M. de Valmont. The story ends with the two of them happily married and living in Paris.
By Honoré De Balzac · First published 1831 · Genre: Historical Fiction, Romance, Drama · 6,648 words
First lines
On the 22nd of January, 1793, towards eight o'clock in the evening, an old lady came down the steep street that comes to an end opposite the Church of Saint Laurent in the Faubourg Saint Martin. It had snowed so heavily all day long that the lady's footsteps were scarcely audible; the streets were deserted, and a feeling of dread, not unnatural amid the silence, was further increased by the whole extent of the Terror beneath which France was groaning in those days; what was more, the old lady so far had met no one by the way. Her sight had long been failing, so that the few foot passengers dispersed like shadows in the distance over the wide thoroughfare through the faubourg, were quite invisible to her by the light of the lanterns.
What this Textopian page supports
An Episode Under the Terror is listed on Textopian as a novel by Honoré De Balzac, dated 1831 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Novel
- Author: Honoré De Balzac
- Date: 1831 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Romance, Drama, Adventure
- Length: 6,648 words
- Structure: 1 section, 133 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for An Episode Under the Terror by Honoré De Balzac
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Discussion starters
- What should a reader notice first when entering An Episode Under the Terror?
- How does this novel by Honoré De Balzac fit its genre, period, or classroom use?
- Where does Historical Fiction first become important in the reading?
Similar titles
- La Grenadiere by Honore De Balzac
- The Marquise De Ganges by Alexandre Dumas
- Facino Cane by Honore De Balzac
- Gaudissart Ii by Honore De Balzac
- The Elixir Of Life by Honore De Balzac
- Christ In Flanders by Honore De Balzac
Genres
- Historical Fiction — The book is set during the French Revolution and follows the story of a family living under the terror of the revolution.
- Romance — The book follows the story of a young couple in love and their struggles to stay together during the terror of the revolution.
- Drama — The book follows the story of a family living under the terror of the revolution and the dramatic events that unfold.
- Adventure — The book follows the story of a family living under the terror of the revolution and their adventures as they try to survive.
Tags
French fiction · Historical fiction · Novel · Translations into English · abbe · agathe · box · brought · curiosity · day · door · dramaturgy