A table chez Balzac : realistic device and stylistic manipulation

In his chef masterpiece LA COMEDIE HUMAINE Honore de Balzac gathers his characters together at meals with remarkable frequency. As a Frenchman, to whom gustatory pleasure is fundamental, it is automatic to bond relationships and to discuss any topic from family matters to contemporary issues during lengthy meals. So, for Balzac, the father of French realism, the dinner table is a natural avenue for realistic presentation. At the same time, Balzac uses mealtimes as an aid to successful composition: many of his characters gathered at the table embody a theme or a dilemma presented by conflicting themes; the meal may also introduce the complication, climax or denouement of the plot, thus helping to regulate its structure; alternatively, by presenting more than one meal and contrasting the locale, the atmosphere or the appurtenances, the author elucidates developing circumstantial change; finally, by introducing a wide variety of conversational topics at the mealtime, the author limits subjective intrusion into the text. Therefore, while Balzac uses mealtimes to present a realistic portrait of contemporary society he also uses them to mould his style.