Abstract
Amid the many literary intertexts of Balzac's (I844), the works of Goethe play a key role. Modeste's first name contains a coded reference to Torquato Tasso, while her family name is borrowed from the Mignon of Wilbelm Meisters Lebrjahre. Because Modeste is in many ways quite unlike Mignon, this latter reference has generally been regarded as marginal, but it can be shown that Balzac consciously plays off the Bildungsroman of his poetic but in the end solid and capable heroine against Goethe's ill-fated personification of lyrical poetry. Central to this parallel is the scene in which Modeste improvises a setting of her favourite poem by the poet she thinks she is in love with: unusually, the score (composed at Balzac's request by Daniel Auber) is printed consecutively with the narrative. This song transposes into a new literary, musical and social context Mignon's celebrated 'Kennst du das Land?'. Modeste Mignon thus appears as both a specifically French mutation of the Mignon story and an ironic commentary on its Romantic implications.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.