Uhden, Raina Forbes (Author)
Columbia University
Jullien, Dominique
Edition Details: Advisor: Jullien, Dominique
Physical Details: 253 pp.
Language: English
Honor de Balzac capitalizes on alchemical metaphors in his descriptions of creators and their approaches to their creations. In response to Josphine Clads's remark 'Dcomposer nest pas crer,' alchemist Balthazar Clas of _La Recherche de l'Absolu_ insists that decomposition is the key to creating. This message echoes in the voices of artists in selected works by Balzac, including some of the _tudes philosophiques, Sarrasine_ and _Illusions perdues._ Our study on decomposition, alchemy, and art leads us to metatextual considerations on Balzac's narrative process. Our case study of Balthazar Clas, from _La Recherche de l'Absolu,_ exposes the blurring boundaries between the chemist, the alchemist and the artist. Through analysis of this alchemist figure, we see that his obsession with decomposition extends beyond the creation of diamonds into the realm of artistic creation. In chapter two, we examine instances of alchemy in literary tradition, Balzac's thematic and stylistic appropriation of Rabelais, and Balzac's allusions to alchemy in his descriptions of artists. Alchemical terminology and references, biblical allusions to creation, and the image of the Silenus box are the focus of the second part of this chapter. The third chapter, 'Myths of Artists,' delves into the mythological figures that are important for Balzac's descriptions of transformations. Balzac exploits the myths of Pygmalion, Prometheus, Orpheus, and Medea in order to highlight certain elements relevant to alchemy: creation, resurrection, and magic. Balzac's artists attempt to duplicate nature and control its forces; yet, they fail in bringing the whole of their works to life. In our fourth chapter on bodily metaphors, we ultimately see that Balzac's creators leave us with fragments. Here, we explore the body in parts and in relation to the whole, on the narrative and metatextual levels. We finally return to the citation 'Dcomposer n'est pas crer,' viewing it from a metatextual perspective and applying it to Balzac's whole literary creation. Here we observe instances of literary recomposition based upon fragments.
...MoreDescription Cited in Diss. Abstr. Int. A 67/02 (2006): 581. UMI pub. no. 3203768.
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