Lorsque Edmund Burke et Kant traitent du sublime à la fin du XVIIIe siècle, ils identifient l’infini et l’ « astonishment », lié à une passion de conservation de soi, comme sources de sublime. L’identification de celles-ci dans leurs œuvres respectives s’oriente toute vers la violence d’une émotion, d’un paysage ou d’une situation : sang, assassinats, paysages naturels gigantesques et effrayants sont autant de situations qu’ils identifient comme principaux motifs de transport de sublime. Mais dans l’Œuvre de Balzac, il va se révéler beaucoup plus complexe, prenant différentes formes toutes plus diverses les unes des autres. Ainsi, sous la plume de Balzac, le sublime ne s’incarne plus qu’à travers le côté sombre des choses, caractéristique romantique. Cette étude propose donc d’envisager le sublime comme pluriel. Le but premier en sera d’établir une typologie du sublime dans plusieurs œuvres de l’auteur afin de montrer le génie d’un homme qui sut innover et se différencier des autres auteurs de l’époque. Le beau, le bon, l’exemplaire, le surpassement de l’être et bien d’autres encore sont autant de catégories qui seront proposées et permettront ainsi une relecture de La Comédie humaine jusque-là jamais envisagée. / When Edmund Burke and Kant deliberate on the aesthetic of the sublime in the late 18th century, they identified concepts such as the infinity and the “astonishment“ as the beginnings of this aesthetic, linked to an instinct of self-preservation. They identify how the origins of the sublime take form around the violence of an emotion, a landscape or a situation: blood, murders, great but terrifying landscapes are all considered a reason for the communication of this aesthetic. Conversely, in Balzac’s work, the sublime is more complex, showing multiple forms all different from one another; the sublime no longer appears only through the somber lens, characteristic of the Romantic Period. This study suggest reconsidering the sublime as plural. The main objective being the establishment of a typology of Balzac’s novels in order to identify the genius of a man who innovated and differentiated himself from other 19th century writers. The beauty, the good, the exemplary, alongside the out-performance of oneself and more, are all categories which appear in this study and allow a now reading of La Comédie humaine.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

Mémoire numérisé par la Direction des bibliothèques de l'Université de Montréal.

No description available.

In this thesis, we are examining the structural poetics of the short story in The Comedie humaine. We first of all analyze three internal elements of the story: narration, description and dialogue. We then study the composition of the collections which form The Comedie humaine. / Without challenging the principles of concision and concentration, accepted since the XIXth century in regard to the short narrative, this dissertation focuses on strategies pertaining to narration, description and dialogue, which embrace these principles, and which enable the short narrative to distinguish itself from the novel. Within our study of internal components, we analyze how texts are grouped together into a collection. This is one aspect which is an integral part of any study of the short story. / Everything indicates that the short narrative favours concentration, while the novel tends to digress. We will establish the truth of this assertion by studying the proliferation of this narrative and narrative strategies, by examining the functions of description and the components of the portrait, and by analyzing discursive transgressions and the functions of dialogue. What follows will be a study of the composition which will begin by focusing on the "Catalogue des oeuvres de 1845", representing a state of intermediate assembling. What concerns us here is the structure of the collection in The Comedie humaine and of the various ways Balzac explored grouping his works together. / In Balzac's work, the structural differences which exist between the short story and the novel contribute to the actual development of the short narrative's poetics. This dissertation therefore forms an invaluable part of Balzacian criticism and certainly finds a place for itself in genre theory.

Si la peinture dans l'œuvre balzacienne a beaucoup occupé la critique, la sculpture moins. C'est pourquoi elle fait l'objet de cette thèse. Il s'agit de montrer que la représentation de la sculpture dans La Comédie humaine est au cœur de la création balzacienne. En résonance (en résistance aussi parfois) avec les discours de l'époque, la représentation de la sculpture chez Balzac implique une réflexion sur la représentation politique et figure la fin du fondement sacré du pouvoir, liée à la Terreur, dans la première moitié du XIXe siècle. Articulant représentation politique et poétique de la représentation, le romancier met ainsi au jour une crise de la mimèsis, trop souvent invoquée à propos de son œuvre. En deuil du sacré et de la réalité de l'Idée, Balzac fait de la sculpture le lieu de l'articulation entre Idée et Image et la place au cœur de son énergétique et de son esthétique. Née de la mort, la sculpture devient pour Balzac art premier, capable de redéfinir les fondements du réel et du roman. À la croisée du politique, de la poétique et de l'esthétique, cette réflexion sur la sculpture dans La Comédie humaine voudrait allier histoire des représentations et histoire de la représentation. / If painting in Balzac's work has interested many critics, sculpture less. This is why this is the theme of this thesis. Indeed, it is a question of demonstrating that sculpture's representation in La Comédie humaine stands at the heart of Balzac's creation. In resonance (sometimes in resistance) with the speeches of that period, sculpture's representation in Balzac's novels implies particular thought on political representation, and represents the end of the sacred foundation of power, linked to Terror, in the first part of the nineteenth century. Articulating political representation and poetics of representation, the novelist highlights a crisis of mimèsis, too often mentioned regarding his work. In mourning of the sacred foundation and the reality of the Idea, Balzac considers sculpture as the place of the link between Idea and Image, and puts it at the heart of his energetic and his aesthetics. Coming from death, sculpture becomes for Balzac the first art, able to redefine the foundations of reality and fiction. At the crossroads of politics, poetics and aesthetics, this thought on sculpture in La Comédie humaine aims to combine history of representations and history of the representation.

A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of A rts, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Johannesburg, January 1973 / The purpose of th is thesis is to correct the widespread misconception th a t children and adolescents are of small Importance in the world of Balzac's Comedie humaine. My method of procedure was not the traditional one. Instead of making'individual characters the focal point of my study, I culled relevant information from the Com&die humaine and then proceeded to group related concepts. Afterwards I consulted Balzac's private correspondence, the Oeuvres de Jeunesse, the Oeuvres diverses and various editions of his works,as well as lite ra ry and social criticism . The present thesis consists o f an Introduction, eight Chapters and a Conclusion. I t is divided into two parts. Part I is concerned with the child and the adolescent per s e . Part II outlines Balzac's view of th e ir growth and development. Chapter I aims to show that Balzac was not only a pioneer in the history of the French novel, but also a pioneer of the treatment of the child therein. Chapter II studies those characteristics which he considered typical of the child personality. They tend to be clinical rath er than lite ra ry , although there is inevitably some overlap and even co n flic t. Chapter III examines types of children mentioned in the Comddie humaine. Personal considerations motivated Balzac to place most emphasis on the only child, the s p o ilt child and, obliquely, the adopted child who then had minimal Importance in French Law. Nevertheless an appearance is made by all types known a t the time to lite ra tu re , society and the law, although not a ll are dissected.

De tous les auteurs français du XIXe siècle, Balzac fut le plus connu en Europe centrale et orientale. Sa réception fut moins marquante avant 1918, tranquille en 1918-1948 et glorieuse en 1948-1989. Pourquoi Balzac a-t-il obtenu ce quasi monopole ? Pourquoi Balzac et non Flaubert, Zola ou Maupassant ? Nous avons analysé les postfaces et les critiques de ses chefs-d´œuvre ainsi que le contexte historique et culturel. Après 1948 le pouvoir communiste cherche quelqu'un sur qui s´appuyer en littérature et Balzac en sort victorieux. Son époque forte arrive pour tous les pays alliés de l´URSS. Son œuvre fait l´objet de dizaines de milliers de tirages, les maisons d´édition nationales se l´arrachent, subventionnent sa promotion littéraire en le liant avec Lénine ou très souvent avec Marx, Engels qui servent de caution pour lui ouvrir une grande voie. En quarante ans, Balzac est partout. Après 1989, la littérature classique est déjà installée mais c´est aussi sa fin. Balzac n´est plus nourri par les maisons d´édition : celles-ci étant devenues privées, publient ce qu´elles veulent. Que cinq livres de Balzac sont édités. Point d´intérêt pour l´auteur de La Comédie humaine, pourtant, la culture slovaque est imprégnée de son souvenir. / Of all the French authors in the XIXth century, Balzac was the best known in Central and Eastern Europe. His reception was less remarkable before 1918, quiet in 1918-1948 and glorious in 1948-1989. Why did Balzac obtain this almost monopoly? Why Balzac and not Flaubert, Zola or Maupassant? We analysed the postscripts and the criticisms of his masterpieces as well as the historical and cultural context. After 1948 the communist power is searching for someone who they can lean on in literature and Balzac emerged victoriously. His powerful era is visible in all the allied countries of the USSR. His work is the subject of ten thousand of the prints, the national publishing houses compete for him, subsidize his literary promotion by linking him with Lenin or very often with Marx, Engels who serve as a surety to open a great way for him. In forty years, Balzac is everywhere. After 1989, the classical literature is already installed but it is also its end. Balzac is no longer fed by the publishing houses: they become private and publish what they want. Only five books are edited. Point of interest of the author of the Human Comedy, however, the Slovak culture is impregnated in his memory.

Lʼœuvre littéraire dʼHonoré de Balzac témoigne dʼune profonde connaissance du système judiciaire et dʼune grande réflexion à son sujet. La violence et le crime, certainement pas les côtés les plus reluisants de lʼHomme, font tout de même partie intégrante de la société. Puisque Balzac a lʼambition de montrer la nature humaine telle quʼelle est, il consent à peindre le meurtre sans euphémismes. Loin de rejeter entièrement lʼesthétique romantique sanglante, il décrit le crime comme une action fondamentalement ambivalente, cʼest-à-dire, quʼil ne le condamne pas absolument ni ne le défend ouvertement. Nous retrouvons dans Balzac ce dont très peu dʼécrivains, et encore moins de philosophes, savent rendre compte : la complexité même de la vie. Lʼengagement social de Balzac invite à penser sa façon de mettre le meurtre en fiction en rapport au contexte sociologique et historique de ses œuvres. Dans la réflexion balzacienne sur le meurtre, quatre thèmes importants reviennent constamment : lʼargent (aspect économique), la jeunesse, la famille (aspects sociaux) et le remords (aspect moral). La dimension philosophique de La Comédie humaine justifie, quant à elle, le choix dʼune lecture également philosophique de lʼœuvre de Balzac. Les meurtres de quatre nouvelles appartenant aux Études philosophiques (El Verdugo, LʼAuberge rouge, Les Marana et Un drame au bord de la mer), assurent une pensée multiple sur des thèmes tels que la justice, le droit, le nom de famille, lʼhonneur, la culpabilité et le glissement dʼune société ancienne vers une société nouvelle dominée par lʼargent. / The literary work of Honoré de Balzac testifies to a deep knowledge and reflection of the judicial system. Violence and crime, certainly not the brightest sides of humanity, are nevertheless an integral part of society. Since Balzacʼs ambition is to show human nature as it is, he agrees to depict murder without euphemisms. Far from entirely rejecting the bloody romantic aesthetic, he describes crime as a fundamentally ambivalent action, meaning that he neither absolutely condemns it nor openly defends it. We find in Balzac what very few writers, and even fewer philosophers, can account for : the very complexity of life itself. Balzacʼs social commitment invites us to think about his way of putting murder in fiction in relation to the sociological and historical context of his works. In Balzacʼs reflections on murder, four important themes constantly recur : money (economic aspect), youth, family (social aspects) and remorse (moral aspect). The philosophical dimension of La Comédie humaine justifies the choice of an equally philosophical reading of Balzacʼs work. The murders of four short stories belonging to the Études philosophiques (El Verdugo, LʼAuberge rouge, Les Marana and Un drame au bord de la mer), ensure a multiple reflection on themes such as justice, law, family name, honour, guilt and the shift from an old society to a new money-dominated society.