or a merely powerful novel to that of the supreme masterpieces of human genius.  The marvelously lifelike description of the vulgar Parisian boarding-house, the fascinating delineation of the character of that king of convicts, Vautrin, and the fine analysis of the ambitions of Rastignac (who comes nearer perhaps to being the hero of the ‘Comedie humaine’ than any other of its characters, and is here presented to us at the threshold of his successful career) remain in the memory of every reader, but would never alone have sufficed to make Balzac’s name worthy of immortality.  The infinite quality of Goriot’s passion would, however, have conferred this honor on his creator had he never written another book.

‘Illusions perdues’ and ‘Splendeurs et miseres des courtisanes’ might almost be regarded as one novel in seven parts.  More than any other of his works they show the sun of Balzac’s genius at its meridian.  Nowhere else does he give us plots so absorbing, nowhere else does he bring us so completely in contact with the world his imagination has peopled.  The first novel devotes two of its parts to the provinces and one to Paris.  The provincial stories centre around two brothers-in-law, David Sechard and Lucien de Rubempre, types of the practical and the artistic intellect respectively.  David, after struggling for fame and fortune, succumbs and finds his recompense in the love of his wife Eve, Lucien’s sister, one of Balzac’s noble women.  Lucien, on the other hand, after some provincial successes as a poet, tries the great world of Paris, yields to its temptations, fails ignominiously, and attempts suicide, but is rescued by the great Vautrin, who has escaped from prison and is about to renew his war on society disguised as a Spanish priest.  Vautrin has conceived the idea that as he can take no part in society, he will have a representative in it and taste its pleasures through him.  Lucien accepts this disgraceful position and plunges once more into the vortex, supported by the strong arm of the king of the convicts.  His career and that of his patron form the subject of the four parts of the ’Splendeurs et miseres’ and are too complicated to be described here.  Suffice it to say that probably nowhere else in fiction are the novel of character and the novel of incident so splendidly combined; and certainly nowhere else in the range of his work does Balzac so fully display all his master qualities.  That the story is sensational cannot be denied, but it is at least worthy of being called the Iliad of Crime.  Nemesis waits upon both Lucien and Vautrin, and upon the poor courtesan Esther whom they entrap in their toils, and when the two former are at last in custody, Lucien commits suicide.  Vautrin baffles his acute judge in a wonderful interview; but with his cherished hope cut short by Lucien’s death, finally gives up the struggle.  Here the novel might have ended; yet Balzac adds a fourth part, in order to complete the career of Vautrin.  The famous convict is transformed into a government spy, and engages to use his immense power against his former comrades and in defense of the society he has hitherto warred upon.  The artistic propriety of this transformation may be questioned, but not the power and interest of the novel of which it is the finishing touch.