French realism's most beguiling femme fatale, Nana crawled from the gutter to ascend the heights of Parisian society, devouring men and squandering fortunes along the way. Her corruption reflects the degenerate state of the Second Empire and her story — a classic of French literature — is among the first modern novels. Reprint of a standard edition.
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert Bored and unhappy in a lifeless marriage, Emma Bovary yearns to escape from the dull circumstances of provincial life. Powerful, deeply moving examination of the moral degeneration of a middle-class Frenchwoman.
Swann's Way by Marcel Proust, C. K. Scott Montcrieff The first volume of the 7-part masterpiece In Search of Lost Time, Swann's Way introduces the reader to Charles Swann, a wealthy connoisseur in 19th-century Paris and a victim of an agonizing romance.
Père Goriot by Honoré de Balzac, Ellen Marriage This outstanding French realist novel contrasts the social progress of an impoverished but ambitious aristocrat with that of a father whose obsessive love leads to personal and financial ruin. "The modern King Lear"—Leslie Stephen.
