Z. Marcas (novel)

Honore de Balzac throughout his life was interested in various things, including business and politics. After three years of training as a lawyer, under various pseudonyms he wrote a number of short stories of dubious quality (English Potboiler). He also lost a large sum of money borrowed on publishing, trying to make money on the release of cheap classic publications. By 1828, he owed his mother 50 thousand francs. ^[one]

Although his views on politics were constantly changing, Balzac was primarily a legitimist who supported the Bourbon houses and considered the 1830 revolution to be guilty of a lack of strong leadership in France. In 1832, he announced his intention to run for parliament in the French parliament. Although his nomination faced many problems, he organized a serious election campaign, which was mostly ridiculed in the French press. So, referring readers to the 1831 novel, which was a breakthrough for the writer, Shagreen leather (“Wild Donkey Skin”), Le Figaro wrote: “For the first time, anyone saw voters being caressed by donkey skin.” ^[2] Although later the writer showed interest to state power, he expressed his political views in his works. ^[3]

In July 1840, he decided to combine the opportunity to earn money with his political position, together with his friend Arman Dutac, having founded the magazine Paris Review (French Revue Parisienne). Being already familiar with the publishing profession, the writer considered himself a specialist in trade. “This gigantic machine, known as journalism,” as he wrote, “is as simple as a burning skewer rotated by a footman .” ^[4] Balzac planned to publish his works in a new edition in order to combat the popularity of the serial format “ novel feuilleton ” . ^[5] However, in September of that year, Dyutak stopped financing the project, which lasted only three issues, which laid the final exit for the writer from the publishing business. ^[6]

In the summer of 1840, Balzac discussed with his friend Leon Gozdan the power of the human name. In his comic essay Balzac en pantoufles , Gozlan talks about the perseverance of his comrade-in-arms: "On est nommé là-haut avant de l'être ici-bas. C'est un mystère auquel il ne convient pas d'appliquer, pour le comprendre, les petites règles de nos petits raisonnements. " (“We are called there [in heaven heaven] even before we get the names here below. This is a mystery, for the sake of understanding which you cannot apply the small rules of our insignificant reasoning.”) ^[8]

Balzac convinced his friend that only on the streets of Paris would they be able to find a suitable name for the character he had invented - a political genius destroyed by the ordinary of time. As a result, they stumbled upon Balzac's delighted signboard of a tailor named Z. Marcas. The writer believed that this name implies "l'esprit je ne sais quoi de fatal" ("some mysterious fatality") ^[9] , and chose it for his main character. He soon wrote a 30-page story. ^[10]

Z. Marcas was published on July 25, 1840 in the first issue of the Paris Review. ^[11] It was reprinted a year later in the collection of various authors, The Forbidden Fruit, entitled La Mort d'un ambitieux (Death of an Ambitious). In 1846, shortly before his death, Balzac included “Z. Marcus ”in the twelfth volume of the first edition of“ Human Comedy ”(“ Scenes of Political Life ”) ^[12] .

The story is presented in the format of a first-person story , while little is known about the narrator himself until the end of the work. Before the story itself, the narrator reflects on the nature of the human name and its influence on its bearer and its fate on the example of Z. Marcas.

1836 , the city of Paris . The narrator Charles lives with his friend Juste in a large hostel, the guests of which are mostly the same students (Charles studies law, Just studies medicine). The only exception is their middle-aged neighbor Z. Markas, whose existence their friends learned six months later. It turns out that he leads an ascetic life through the correspondence of documents. When students do not have the means to buy tobacco , Marcas offers them from his stock. So the friendship begins between them, and students will soon find out his fate.

Born in the Breton Vitre and named after St. Zephyrin , who is especially revered in the region, Marcas at an early age realizes his own ambition . At the age of 20, having refused, after free training at the seminary, the future priestly dignity, he arrives in Paris with 200 francs in his pocket. Markas graduates from the law faculty and at the same time works as a senior clerk for the solicitor , after which he decides to take up politics as a journalist in the hope of improving public administration of the country. In the hope of future help in overcoming the property qualification for election to parliament, he decides to unite with an unnamed deputy, who was inferior to Zephyrin in wisdom and insight. They began to work in a team: the deputy acts as a public person, and Marcas, who is in the opposition camp, becomes his secret adviser. Soon, the first is part of the ministry and quickly forgets both the assistance provided and its promises. In retaliation, Marcus takes part in the overthrow of the ministry, simultaneously publishing the available dirt .

Soon, however, this statesman helps Maracas get rid of his debts and seeks his appointment as the chief editor of the newspaper, which takes the side of the overthrown official. The new ministry does not stand even 180 days, and with the return of the deputy to his new composition, the publication becomes openly pro-government. But the statesman again deceives Marcus, who is losing his job due to the merger of his newspaper with another. Now Zefirin can’t work in journalism: the ministerial (because of the unwritten ban) and opposition publications do not want to collaborate with him, he is not ready to cooperate with the legitimists and republicans who are trying to destroy the current state system . The next two years, he interrupted by casual work and work in the newspaper of the opponents of the minister, which closed after the next overthrow of the latter. Over the past six months, from the time he met his students, Marcus earned his living by correspondence of papers, which allowed him to live for 30 sous a day and help his relatives financially. The events that took place morally broke this man who had all the talents of a statesman and politician and compiled analytical notes for Charles and Juste with tips and forecasts, some of which came true even before the end of the novel. He does not leave the current regime for ten years .

In the end, his friend-politician asks for help for the third time, guaranteeing a position in the state apparatus and future deputy. Marcas communicates with him scornfully and frankly mockingly, but the students eventually convince him to take a chance and give 200 francs for future expenses. Three months later, Marcas reappears in a boarding house, sick and exhausted. The statesman whose ministry fell during this period no longer visits his benefactor, who dies thirty-five in January 1838 . The funeral is organized by two students who, on the basis of personal experience and the case of Z. Marcus, decide to leave France, which does not give their youth opportunities for self-realization. Just is sent to work as a doctor in Asia , and the narrator, Charles Raburden, sets sail for the Malay Islands .

In addition to a special name, Z. Marcas has a memorable appearance that his neighbors immediately notice. The first sentence of the novel mentions a "saisissant" ("striking") appearance. ^[9] As usual in his later works, Balzac compares his character with an animal: "L'animal de Marcas était le lion. Ses cheveux ressemblaient à une crinière, son nez était court, écrasé, large et fendu au bout comme celui d ' un lion, il avait le front partagé comme celui d'un lion par un sillon puissant, divisé en deux lobes vigoureux. " ("Marcus resembled a lion. His hair resembled a mane, his nose was short, blunt, wide, forked at the end, like a lion’s forehead, like a lion’s, was divided by a deep furrow in two - into two powerful ledges.") ^[14]

Looks like Marcas is meant for greatness; he has an amazing spirit, a quick and sound judgment, as well as a comprehensive knowledge of social manners. ^[15] In his view there is “une puissance” (“power”), ^[14] which he tries not to use, because in the past this gift brought him only trouble. ^[16] Despite all these skills, a political genius living among students needs their help - they are the ones who choose the right clothes for him to work for a statesman for the last time. ^[17]

Nevertheless, the character of Z. Marcus personifies an ardent desire for success in the world of politics and a sharp mind, striving to do good in the public sphere. One critic considered it "pure ambition." ^[18] Like other brilliant people in Human Comedy , Marcus can be considered a reflection of his own ego and desires of the writer. Like this character, Balzac dreamed of fame and positive influence; according to the author’s idea, the impulse of Marcus is rejected and used in the manipulations of mediocre people. The author and the hero he invented even had a common feature - they both preferred to work at night ^[19] .

Duplicate Characters

For the first time, Honore de Balzac drew characters from earlier works in Father Gorio's novel, making this technique a hallmark of his works. In this case, the narrator Shar Raburden, whose identity is revealed at the end of the short story, is the son of the main character of the 1837 novel, Officials Xavier Raburden, who, by intrigue, deprives the well-deserved position of the head of the department at the ministry. At the end of this work, Raburden promises his wife that they will succeed in the business world. Charles's poverty in Z. Markas testifies to the failure of these hopes. ^[twenty]

Charles Raburden’s interactions with Marcus remind him of his father’s career in government. Herbert J. Hunt, a literary critic, notes that Marcus "reflects in the political sphere that Raburden is administrative." ^[21] Allan H. Pasco has a similar point of view: “Charles learned a lesson from two mentors: his own father and Marcus. Outstanding people have no future in politics, management or business - at least not in France.” ^[22]

Balzac's use of recurring characters gave his readers an unprecedented depth and description of the images. “This technique,” ​​critic Mary Susan McCarthy insists, “not only gave him a unifying principle, but also offered the reader a network of relationships with which you can combine many separate stories and short stories involving characters, creating a fictional universe of Human Comedy .” ^[23] There are cases when some readers were afraid of the depth created by interconnected stories, and felt deprived of an important context for understanding the characters. Arthur Conan-Dol , the author of detective novels, said that he never tried to read Balzac because he "did not know where to start." ^[24]

Z. Marcas appears in the story of Balzac the Prince of Bohemia , which the author twice revised before publication of the final form. In the 1846 edition, the character of Marcel was replaced by Marcus; but it could be a publisher mistake. As Anthony Pugh explained: “This detail is inexplicable; the main character of Z. Marcus , who does not appear outside his own story, seems to be an unlikely candidate for this role. Could it be a typo?” ^[25]

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