La Grande Bretèche (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Honoré Balzac
- First Published: 1832
- Type of Plot: Psychological
- Time of Work: The early nineteenth century
- Setting: Vendôme, France
- Principal Characters: Dr. Horace Bianchon, Mr. Regnault, Mr. de Merret, Mrs. de Merret, Mr. Férédia, Rosalie, Mr. Lepas, Mrs. Lepas
- Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction
- Subjects: France or French people, Murder or homicide, Nineteenth century, Jealousy, envy, or resentment, Adultery, Captivity, Separation, Prisoners of war, Walls
- Locales: Vendôme, France
The Story
The frame narrator, Dr. Horace Bianchon, begins his story with a lengthy description of a dilapidated residence called La Grande Bretèche, which he discovered while practicing medicine in Vendôme. Although the residence is not ancient, Bianchon speaks of it as if it were an archaeological ruin—one whose mysterious power of attraction is so strong that he regularly scales its garden walls to contemplate the unknown catastrophe that caused it to collapse into such ruins. Bianchon continues to visit its garden in secret until, one day, he receives a call from Mr....
[The entire page is 1416 words long]
See Also:
Honoré de Balzac (Cyclopedia of World Authors)Honoré de Balzac (Mystery and Detective Fiction)Honoré de Balzac (Dictionary of World Biography)Honoré de Balzac (Censorship)Honoré de Balzac (Short Fiction)Honoré de Balzac (Long Fiction)Theory of Short Fiction (Topical Overview--Short Fiction)
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