Balzac: Old Goriot

This up-to-date account of the novel’s composition, structure, and achievement provides readers with the literary and historical knowledge needed to make sense of the text. Professor Bellos explains how Balzac challenged prevailing nineteenth-century expectations of what novels should be like.

Chronology; Note on the text; Introduction; 1. The making of Old Goriot; 2. The achievement of Old Goriot; Bibliography.