Balzac

Impressions of the Summer Recounted in Autumn - Trip to Paris and Georgia

Takahiro Ueda, "Impressions of the Summer Written in Autumn: A Journey to Paris and Georgia" Articles - A Journey to Learn from Tolstoy and Dostoevsky

For approximately one month, from mid-August to mid-September 2022, I have been traveling around Europe, mainly in Georgia.

This trip visited France, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Georgia-Armenia.

Its main purpose was to see the Caucasus Mountains of northern Georgia to study Tolstoy and Dostoevsky.

This article will list all 31 articles. We hope you will use it as a table of contents for "Impressions of Summer in Autumn.
Impressions of the Summer Recounted in Autumn - Trip to Paris and Georgia

(16) Visiting Waterloo, the site of Napoleon's defeat - an ancient battlefield that Hugo went to great lengths to visit in order to complete his Remisée.

After leaving Paris, I headed for Waterloo, an ancient battlefield in Belgium.

It is known as the place where Napoleon was defeated in the final battle in 1815, ending his glory.

And this was also a very important place for Hugo, who wrote "Les Miserables.

In this article, we will talk about Waterloo, the place associated with Napoleon and Hugo.
Impressions of the Summer Recounted in Autumn - Trip to Paris and Georgia

(15) Why didn't Raskolnikov in "Crime and Punishment" become Rastignak in "Old Gorio"?

Our week-long stay in Paris is finally coming to an end.

The idea was to follow Dostoevsky's lead in describing my own impressions of the summer in "Impressions of Summer in Autumn," but I could not say much about Dostoevsky himself.

Dostoevsky himself rarely talked about the sights and art of Paris, but I would still like to write about what I thought of him at the end of the Paris section.
The main theme of this article is about Raskolnikov, the protagonist of Crime and Punishment, and Rastignak, the protagonist of Balzac's Old Gorio.
Dostoevskyism

G. Lukács, "Tolstoy and Dostoyevsky" - "Dostoyevsky is a writer who gives questions, not answers."

The task of the literary writer is not to give answers, but to ask questions," said Lukács. He cited Dostoevsky as one of the most successful in this regard.

Indeed, Dostoevsky does not give us answers. He drags us into a complex and bizarre world, as if he were knocking the reader into chaos.

But that is also Dostoevsky's greatest appeal.

As mentioned in the translator's afterword, there may be some problems with the work, but I think that what is being discussed in this work provides a good opportunity to look at Dostoevsky from a different point of view.
Impressions of the Summer Recounted in Autumn - Trip to Paris and Georgia

(6) Tour of Paris and Balzac's places of interest: Boulogne Forest, Balzac's House, Pere Rachaise Cemetery.

This article will introduce the places associated with Balzac, the French literary giant famous for "Grandpa Goriot.

We will look in turn at the Boulogne Forest, which is significant in the novel, and Balzac's house and the Pere Lascheuse cemetery, where his grave is located.

It was especially satisfying to see his favorite walking stick and coffee pod at Balzac's house.
Impressions of the Summer Recounted in Autumn - Trip to Paris and Georgia

(5) Visit the Invalides where Napoleon's tomb is located - The more you know about Napoleon, the more charismatic he became.

After visiting the graves of Rousseau, Voltaire, Zola, and Hugo at the Panthéon, I headed to the Invalides. This is where Napoleon is buried.

Still, the imposing standing of the Invalides is enough to make one sigh. In a sense, such an architectural structure is Napoleon's tombstone. It reminds us of how huge a person Napoleon was.

In this article we will talk about Napoleon.
French Literature, History and Culture

Masakatsu Adachi, "Sanson the Executioner," model for Jojo Part 7 Gyro Zeppeli! Recommended work to learn about the life of Monsieur de Paris!

This work depicts the human drama of the Sanson family, a family destined to be a family of executioners.

You may have an image of executioners as ruthless, bloodless, and barbaric, but this book will change that image dramatically.

At the time, Sansone continued to question how to live a virtuous life as a human being in a profession that was discriminated against and looked down upon by the people around him.

One can only be amazed at this man who lived so hard, caught up in the turbulence of the French Revolution, and who continued to ask the ultimate question.
French Literature, History and Culture

Shigeru Kashima, "Girardin, King of Newspapers" A book recommended to learn about the birth of media journalism! What is the amazing life of the man who transformed the newspaper industry?

This work is a masterful look at the life of Girardin, a media revolutionary, along with the historical background.

We are surrounded by television, newspapers, and the Internet to the extent that we cannot live without them in our daily lives, but in this book we can learn about when the commercial media began and what it means. This book is set in France in the middle of the 19th century, but it has direct relevance to us living in modern society.

This is definitely one of the best books of all time! It is a very interesting book!
French Literature, History and Culture

Balzac's "Disillusionment" Synopsis and Impressions - A naked expose of the inner workings of the media and publishing industry, where anything goes if it sells! A shocking work!

This is a remarkable work that exposes the realities of the French media and publishing industry in the mid-19th century. Balzac himself was in the publishing business, and he knows the ins and outs of the industry. In this work, Balzac's relentless criticism of the media unfolds. Of course, this is not mere criticism; it is also Balzac's heartrending wish. His wish for a world in which truly good things are properly appreciated is evident in this work.