Overview

"S�raph�ta is a French novel by Honor� de Balzac with themes of androgyny. It was published in the Revue de Paris in 1834. In contrast with the realism of most of the author's best known works, the story delves into the fantastic and the supernatural to illustrate philosophical themes. In a castle in Norway near the fjord Stromfjord, S�raphit�s, a strange and melancholic being, conceals a terrible secret. S�raphit�s loves Minna, and she returns this love, believing S�raphit�s to be a man. But S�raphit�s is also loved by Wilfrid, who considers S�raphit�s to be a woman (S�raph�ta). In reality, S�raphit�s-S�raph�ta is a perfect androgyne, born to parents who by the doctrines of Emanuel Swedenborg have transcended their humanity, and S�raphit�s-S�raph�ta is the perfect example of humanity. Ruggero Leoncavallo wrote a symphonic poem based on the story. An early drawing of Paul Gauguin's ceramic sculpture Oviri bears the inscription Et le monstre, entr�ignant sa cr�ature, f�conde de sa semence des flancs g�n�reux pour engendrer S�raphitus-S�raphita (""And the monster, embracing its creation, filled her generous womb with seed and fathered S�raphitus-S�raphita""), referring to the novel. From 2010 to 2014 Ouriel Zohar staged Seraphita, his adaptation of the novel starring Barbara Heman at the Th��tre de l'�le Saint-Louis in Paris, and then in several countries around the world. (wikipedia.org) About the author: Honor� de Balzac born Honor� Balzac; (20 May 1799 - 18 August 1850) was a French novelist and playwright. The novel sequence La Com�die humaine, which presents a panorama of post-Napoleonic French life, is generally viewed as his magnum opus. Owing to his keen observation of detail and unfiltered representation of society, Balzac is regarded as one of the founders of realism in European literature. He is renowned for his multi-faceted characters; even his lesser characters are complex, morally ambiguous and fully human. Inanimate objects are imbued with character as well; the city of Paris, a backdrop for much of his writing, takes on many human qualities. His writing influenced many famous writers, including the novelists �mile Zola, Charles Dickens, Marcel Proust, Gustave Flaubert, and Henry James, and filmmakers Fran�ois Truffaut and Jacques Rivette. Many of Balzac's works have been made into films and continue to inspire other writers. James called him ""really the father of us all."" An enthusiastic reader and independent thinker as a child, Balzac had trouble adapting to the teaching style of his grammar school. His willful nature caused trouble throughout his life and frustrated his ambitions to succeed in the world of business. When he finished school, Balzac was apprenticed in a law office, but he turned his back on the study of law after wearying of its inhumanity and banal routine. Before and during his career as a writer, he attempted to be a publisher, printer, businessman, critic, and politician; he failed in all of these efforts. La Com�die Humaine reflects his real-life difficulties, and includes scenes from his own experience. Balzac suffered from health problems throughout his life, possibly owing to his intense writing schedule. His relationship with his family was often strained by financial and personal drama, and he lost more than one friend over critical reviews. In 1850, Balzac married Ewelina Hańska (n�e Contessa Rzewuska), a Polish aristocrat and his longtime love. He died in Paris six months later. (wikipedia.org)"

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