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Pere Goriot
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Plot Summary of Pere Goriot
" Father Goriot had been a wealthy middle class business man. When he got older he sold his business and gave most of his money to his two daughters whom he doted on. He planned to live with them and their families, but they had married into higher social positions and found him beneath him. He now lives in a boarding house, denying himself everything so that he can still give the little he has to the extravagent daughters who never have enough money, but want nothing to do with him except take his money. A young man who also lives in the boarding house becomes acquainted with the daughters while seeking his own place in society and befriends the old man who takes to him to get information about the daughters. Goriot's selfless love for his offspring, however, is never reciprocated. Still the only thing he lives for is his family.
"

Jack Goodstein, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Pere Goriot
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - thoughtful
Time/era of story - 19th century
Family, struggle with Yes
Struggle with: - Daughter
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - unemployed
Age: - 60's-90's
Eccentric/Mental Yes
Eccentric: - deluded
Ethnicity/Nationality - French
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence

Main Adversary
Identity: - Female
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - Prince/Nobleman/King
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence

Setting
How much descriptions of surroundings? - 8 ()
Europe Yes
European country: - France
Misc setting - fancy mansion

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
Most similar books to Pere Goriot
Ghosts by Henrik Ibsen
The Quicksilver Pool by Phyllis A. Whitney
Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens
Of Dreams and Nightmares by Shirley A. Roe


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Honoré de Balzac Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Jack Goodstein  

SCHOLARS:
Augusto Wong Campos  


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