Father Goriot is a novel by Honore de Balzac, first published in 1835. The story is set in Paris in the early 19th century and follows the lives of several characters, including the titular character, Father Goriot, a former merchant who has fallen on hard times and now lives in a shabby boarding house. The other residents of the boarding house include Rastignac, a young law student who hopes to climb the social ladder, and Vautrin, a mysterious and charismatic criminal.As the story unfolds, we see the characters' lives become increasingly intertwined as they navigate the complex social hierarchy of Parisian society. Father Goriot, who has sacrificed everything for his daughters, is exploited and mistreated by them, while Rastignac struggles to balance his ambition with his conscience. Vautrin, meanwhile, has his own agenda and is willing to use any means necessary to achieve his goals.Through the characters' experiences, Balzac explores themes of love, betrayal, greed, and social class, painting a vivid portrait of Parisian society at the time. The novel is considered a masterpiece of French literature and is widely regarded as one of Balzac's greatest works.Eugene stared at his neighbor in dumb and dazed bewilderment. He thought of Vautrin, of that duel to be fought to-morrow morning, and of this realization of his dearest hopes, and the violent contrast between the two sets of ideas gave him all the sensations of nightmare. He went to the chimney-piece, saw the little square case, opened it, and found a watch of Breguet's make wrapped in paper, on which these words were written.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.
