What is Sarrasine about?
The story’s eponymous protagonist, French sculptor Ernest-Jean Sarrasine, falls in love with opera singer La Zambinella. He imagines her as “Pygmalion’s statue descended from her pedestal,” but Zambinella harbors a secret that will shatter the sculptor’s illusions and have deadly consequences.
How does the story of sarrasine and Zambinella end?
Sarrasine is about to kill him as a group of the cardinal’s men barge in and stab Sarrasine. The narrator then reveals that the old man around the household is Zambinella, Marianina’s maternal great uncle. The story ends with Mme de Rochefide’s expressing her distress about the story she has just been told.
When was sarrasine written?
1831
Sarrasine (1831) is a novella by French author Honoré de Balzac. Written as part of his La Comédie humaine sequence, Sarrasine is one of Balzac’s earliest works published without a pseudonym and helped to establish his reputation as a serious writer and distinguished member of Parisian high society.
What is Sarrasine by Balzac?
Sarrasine is part of its “Scenes de la vie parisienne”. Balzac ‘s Sarrasine received little attention prior to Roland Barthes ‘ blow-by-blow analysis of the text in his book S/Z (1970). Barthes dissects the text in accordance with five “codes” ( hermeneutic, semic, symbolic, proairetic and cultural).
What did Balzac do for a living?
In the 10 years that elapsed, Balzac had developed a political career, becoming heavily involved in high society, which influenced much of his writing.
How did Sarrasine become obsessed with Zambinella?
During a visit to Rome, the young Sarrasine attended an operatic performance at which the celebrated Zambinella was singing. He so admired her ideal and classical beauty that he wanted to rush onto the stage in order to embrace her. His sole desire became to “possess” Zambinella, as he explained it to himself.
How is realism reflected in the novella Sarrasine?
In Sarrasine, Realism is reflected in the ways that every situation is described in its positive and negative aspects. For example, as a member of the castrati Zambinella can be praised, adored, or treated as if he doesn’t belong. The novella doesn’t romanticize the relationship between Zambinella and Sarrasine, either.