The construction of Balzac as a classic writer: serialization, education, publishing, and adaptation (from his beginnings to the present)

Thesis

This thesis examines Balzac’s trajectory toward recognition as an established classic writer. It argues that his consecration as a ‘classic’ is the result of a dynamic interplay between overlapping models of canonization—serialization, publication, education, and on-screen adaptation—whose convergence produces a recognisable yet mutable Balzac canon, continually reshaped by shifting cultural, sociopolitical, and pedagogic imperatives.

Chapter One traces the evolution of Balzac’s authorial identity from his early career to 1835. It highlights how his fusion of classic theatrical genres, particularly comedy and tragedy, with popular motifs drawn from the sensationalism of melodrama contributed to the accumulation of symbolic capital prior to formal institutional recognition.

Chapter Two examines the late 1830s to early 1850s, during which the roman-feuilleton, illustrated editions, and commercial bookshop posters significantly increased Balzac’s visibility in the press. This played a key role in the widespread circulation of his work and established both his popularity and scandalous works such as La Vieille fille as defining aspects of his canonical status.

Chapter Three analyses the texts included in the Petits classiques series in the first half of the twentieth century, examining their dissemination alongside the rise of silent-film adaptations. It also explores notable peaks in Balzac’s publication history, particularly between the 1930s and 1960s.

Chapter Four examines the selection of works published in the Classiques de poche and Folio classique editions in the second half of the twentieth century, the Baccalauréat curricula, parascolaire materials, and the Zéro de conduite teaching kits. It demonstrates how these editions and multimedia resources work in concert to reinvent the writer’s literary image for contemporary audiences.

Balzac’s canonization as a classic writer is thus predicated on intersecting modes of dissemination that enabled him to construct multiple authorial identities, publish prolifically in different formats, and make the ‘classic’ ‘popular’ and the ‘popular’ ‘classic’.

Authors: Vuckovic, D

• DOI: 10.5287/ora-14rejny55
• Type of award: DPhil
• Level of award: Doctoral
• Awarding institution: University of Oxford
• Language: English, French
• Keywords: publishing culture; cinematic and theatrical adaptation; cultural capital; biography; education; serialization; nineteenth-century French literature; pedagogy; classic literature; authorial identity; popular literature; canonization; Honoré de Balzac; symbolic capital
• Subjects: Knowledge, Sociology of, in literature; French newspapers--Foreign language press; Adaptation (Literary, artistic, etc.); Literature--History and criticism; Film posters, French; Fiction films; Education; Canon (Literature); Nineteenth century; Culturally relevant pedagogy; Literature publishing; French