The Magic Skin by Honoré de Balzac

"The Magic Skin" by Honoré de Balzac is a novel published in 1831. Set in early 19th-century Paris, it follows a young man who discovers a magical piece of shagreen that grants his every wish. However, each desire fulfilled causes the skin to shrink and drains his physical energy. The novel explores the conflict between desire and longevity, examining bourgeois materialism through Balzac's detailed portrayal of Parisian society. It established Balzac as a significant French writer. (This is an automatically generated summary.)

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About this eBook

Author Balzac, Honoré de, 1799-1850
Translator Marriage, Ellen, 1865-1946
Title The Magic Skin
Note Wikipedia page about this book: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Peau_de_chagrin
Credits Produced by Dagny, Bonnie Sala, and David Widger
Reading Level Reading ease score: 67.5 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read.
Language English
LoC Class PQ: Language and Literatures: Romance literatures: French, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese
Subject Fantasy fiction
Subject Authors -- Fiction
Subject Wishes -- Fiction
Subject Hides and skins -- Fiction
Subject French fiction -- Translations into English
Subject Magic -- Fiction
Category Text
EBook-No. 1307
Release Date
Most Recently Updated Jan 27, 2021
Copyright Status Public domain in the USA.
Downloads 1435 downloads in the last 30 days.
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