Bureaucracy by Honoré De Balzac
The novel explores the inner workings of a French provincial town's government and its inhabitants. It delves into the lives of various officials, including a mayor, a prefect, and a lawyer, highlighting their petty squabbles, corruption, and inefficiencies. The story revolves around the struggles of a young man trying to navigate this complex system in pursuit of his goals. Through satire, Balzac critiques the French bureaucracy of his time, exposing its flaws and absurdities.
By Honoré De Balzac · First published 1842 · Genre: Literary Fiction, Satire, Social Commentary · 9 chapters · 90,786 words
First lines
In Paris, where men of thought and study bear a certain likeness to one another, living as they do in a common centre, you must have met with several resembling Monsieur Rabourdin, whose acquaintance we are about to make at a moment when he is head of a bureau in one of our most important ministries. At this period he was forty years old, with gray hair of so pleasing a shade that women might at a pinch fall in love with it for it softened a somewhat melancholy countenance, blue eyes full of fire, a skin that was still fair, though rather ruddy and touched here and there with strong red marks; a forehead and nose a la Louis XV., a serious mouth, a tall figure, thin, or perhaps wasted, like that of a man just recovering from illness, and finally, a bearing that was midway between the indolence of a mere idler and the thoughtfulness of a busy man. If this portrait serves to depict his character, a sketch of this man's dress will bring it still further into relief.
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Bureaucracy is listed on Textopian as a novel by Honoré De Balzac, dated 1842 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: 1842 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Literary Fiction, Satire, Social Commentary, Realism, Drama
- Length: 90,786 words
- Structure: 9 chapters, 1,493 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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- Work identity for Bureaucracy by Honoré De Balzac
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Genres
- Literary Fiction — The book is a classic example of literary fiction, focusing on character development and social commentary.
- Satire — The narrative employs satire to critique the inefficiencies and absurdities of bureaucratic systems.
- Social Commentary — The themes revolve around the examination and critique of societal structures and institutions.
- Realism — The writing style and plot are grounded in realistic depictions of 19th-century French society.
Tags
Satire · Social Commentary · French Literature · 19th Century Novel · Bureaucratic System · Critique of Power · Corruption · Morality · Philosophy · Realism · Comedy · Politics
Contents
- The Rabourdin Household
- Monsieur Des Lupeaulx
- The Teredos Navalis, Otherwise Called Ship-Worm
- Three-Quarter Length Portraits of Certain Government Officials
- The Machine in Motion
- The Worms at Work
- Scenes from Domestic Life
- Forward, Mollusks!
- The Resignation