La Peau de chagrin

E63896
French novel novel philosophical novel

La Peau de chagrin is a philosophical novel by Honoré de Balzac that explores themes of desire, power, and mortality through a magical talisman that grants wishes while shrinking with each use.

Jump to: Statements Referenced by

Statements (45)

Predicate Object
instanceOf French novel ⓘ
novel ⓘ
philosophical novel ⓘ
alternateTitle The Magic Skin ⓘ
The Wild Ass's Skin ⓘ
author Honoré de Balzac ⓘ
centralObject magical shagreen skin ⓘ
character Antiquary ⓘ
Fedora ⓘ
surface form: Foedora

Pauline ⓘ
Raphaël de Valentin ⓘ
countryOfOrigin France ⓘ
createdBy Honoré de Balzac ⓘ
firstPublicationForm serial publication ⓘ
firstPublisher Charpentier ⓘ
genre fantastic literature ⓘ
philosophical fiction ⓘ
social novel ⓘ
hasAdaptation La Peau de chagrin (film adaptations) ⓘ
hasInfluenceOn later French fantastic literature ⓘ
inCollection Études philosophiques ⓘ
influencedBy Romanticism ⓘ
literaryCycle La Comédie humaine ⓘ
surface form: Études philosophiques in La Comédie humaine
literaryMovement Realism ⓘ
literarySignificance early major work in La Comédie humaine ⓘ
mainCharacter Raphaël de Valentin ⓘ
narrativePerspective third-person narration ⓘ
originalLanguage French ⓘ
originalTitle La Peau de chagrin self-link ⓘ
partOf La Comédie humaine ⓘ
plotDevice talisman that grants wishes while shrinking ⓘ
publicationYear 1831 ⓘ
setting Paris ⓘ
structure three-part structure ⓘ
symbol shagreen skin as symbol of finite life ⓘ
shagreen skin as symbol of vital energy ⓘ
theme consumption and excess ⓘ
desire ⓘ
fate ⓘ
free will ⓘ
mortality ⓘ
power ⓘ
the cost of ambition ⓘ
the relationship between life force and desire ⓘ
timePeriod 19th century ⓘ

Referenced by (4)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

La Comédie humaine → hasPart → La Peau de chagrin ⓘ
subject surface form: La Comédie humaine
Honoré de Balzac → notableWork → La Peau de chagrin ⓘ
La Peau de chagrin → originalTitle → La Peau de chagrin self-link ⓘ