The Erosion of Morality in Balzac's Un Début dans la vie

Honoré de Balzac's 1842 novel, Un Debut dans la vie, can be seen as a turning point in his career. In this novel, Balzac shows the corruption of bourgeois morality as he never portrayed it before. The drive to acquire money and to succeed in society, for three heroes of the novel – Pierrotin, Moreau and Oscar Husson – is so strong that they use unlawful methods and unorthodox procedures. Balzac's moral reader, left to lament the loss of virtuous characters in the novel, is forced to assume their position as ethical critic. (SGS)