Seraphita - Paperback

by Katharine Prescott Wormeley (Translator), Honoré de Balzac (Author)

In contrast with the realism of most of the Balzac's best known works, the novel 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.

Author Biography

Honoré de Balzac (20 May 1799 - 18 August 1850) was a French novelist and playwright. The novel sequence La Comédie Humaine, which presents a panorama of post-Napoleonic French life, is generally viewed as his magnum opus.