Repertory of the Comedie Humaine Part 1 | Page 3

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Etext prepared by Dagny, [email protected] and Emma Dudding,
[email protected]

REPERTORY OF THE COMEDIE HUMAINE
PART I, A -- K

TRANSLATOR'S PREFACE
"Work crowned by the French Academy" is a significant line borne by
the title-page of the original edition of Messieurs Cerfberr and
Christophe's monumental work. The motto indicates the high esteem in
which the French authorities hold this very necessary adjunct to the
great Balzacian structure. And even without this word of approval, the
intelligent reader needs but a glance within the pages of the /Repertory
of the Comedie Humaine/ to convince him at once of its utility.
In brief, the purpose of the /Repertory/ is to give in alphabetical
sequence the names of all the characters forming this Balzacian society,
together with the salient points in their lives. It is, of course, well
known that Balzac made his characters appear again and again, thus
creating out of his distinct novels a miniature world. To cite a case in
point, Rastignac, who comes as near being the hero of the /Comedie/ as

any other single character, makes his first appearance in /Father Goriot/,
as a student of law; then appearing and disappearing fitfully in a score
of principal novels, he is finally made a minister and peer of France.
Without the aid of the /Repertory/ it would be difficult for any save a
reader of the entire /Comedie/ to trace out his career. But here it is
arranged in temporal sequence, thus giving us a concrete view of the
man and his relation to this society.
In reading any separate story, when reference is made in passing to a
character, the reader will find it helpful and interesting to turn to the
/Repertory/ and find what manner of man it is that is under advisement.
A little systematic reading of this nature will speedily render the reader
a "confirmed Balzacian."
A slight confusion may arise in the use of the /Repertory/ on account of
the subdivision of titles. This is the fault neither of Messieurs Cerfberr
and Christophe nor of the translator, but of Balzac himself, who was
continually changing titles, dividing and subdividing stories, and
revamping and working other changes in his books. /Cousin Betty/ and
/Cousin Pons/ were placed together by him under the general title of
/Poor Relations/. Being separate stories, we have retained the separate
titles. Similarly, the three divisions of /Lost Illusions/ were never
published together until 1843--in the first complete edition of the
/Comedie/; before assuming final shape its parts had received several
different titles. In the present text the editor has deemed it best to retain
two of the parts under /Lost Illusions/, while the third, which