A Jungian Analysis of Balzac's La Peau De Chagrin Alchemy and the Novel

Table of Contents:
Abbreviated Sample from Foreword/Acknowledgments/Introduction: Assembling the Materials; Genesis and Thesis; The Vocabulary and Structure of Alchemy: 1. The Archetypal Hero and the Quest, Individualized types: Raphael and His Father, The Hero's Call to Adventure; 2. Help from Unexpected Sources, Feminine Soul Figures, Enter Rastignac, the Trickster; 3. The Anima as Femme Fatale, Fedora: A Dream Image Come to Life, Let's Drink to Death; 4. Approaching Death and Apparent Rebirth, Dissolution by Drowning, Another gamble, the Talisman; 5. Wish Fulfilment and an Uncertain Rebirth, A Sense of Rebirth Amid Ill Omens, Revelation of the Talisman's Power; 6. Cycles of Rebirth and Regression, A Strategy for Living, The Hope of Salvation Through Love, Seeking the Help of Scientists and Physicians; 7. The Parting of the Ways, In the valley of the Moon, On Heights of Gold Mountain and much more.

About the Author :
Dr. Emese Soos is a Senior Lecturer at Tufts University. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. This study focuses on the relationship of Balzac to alchemy as it applies to the analysis of La Pear: de chagrin. His interest stems from family influences, extensive reading in his early student days and research he did to document his fictional works. In La Peau de chagrin the protagonist cast as a youthful hero formulates a plan to achieve his goals according to the alchemical process of transformation, and the organization of the novel parallels its principal stages. An analysis of the work from the perspective of the magnum opus reveals a contrapuntal narrative structure: while the imagery of alchemy ascends toward the achievement of the philosophers' gold, the protagonist's fortunes decline as he deviates from the dictates and values of the hermetic discipline. Alchemy thus serves as a paradigm that highlights the hero's misstep and suggests the moral reflection missed by contemporaneous critics according to Balzac.

Review :
From the Foreword: "Balzac expressed dismay that early critics missed the mythic dimension and the moral reflection deeply inscribed in this novel, his first best seller. This comprehensive reinterpretation aims to respond to those omissions." - Dr. Isabelle Naginski, Tufis University. From a Peer Review: "Professor Soos' style of writing is luminous, articulate and elegant...This publication will contribute greatly to Balzac's studies. . .Soos knows very well all scholarly studies on alchemy and she draws illuminating paralleles between the protagonist's existential quest and the pursuit of the philosopher's gold... the book is a pleasure to read." - Dr. Gerard Gasarian, Tufts University