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Servo e padrone in “La Recherche de l’absolu”

2014; Rosenberg & Sellier; Issue: 173 (LVIII | II) Linguagem: Inglês

10.4000/studifrancesi.1706

2421-5856

Valeria Ramacciotti,

French Literature and Poetry

In the vast and changing contest of nineteenth-century French literature, Balzac's contributions to the theme of the relationship between servant and master could not be ignored. In La Recherche de l'absolu, published in 1834, the author, sharp observer of social changing and feelings, beside the topic of science, focuses on a complex structure of family and human relationships, where the valet plays a key role. In this novel the servant-master couple, an ancient narrative device rooted in many genres, finds a new form which evolves along with the story of the main characters. At the end the servant, now inseparably linked to his master, develops a specific personal identity. From simple executioner of somebody else's will to friend and generous protector of the old master, who is haunted by his own madness and by the world's incomprehension.