Landscape in the novel by Honore de Balzac "Letters of two brides": motifs of heaven and hell

This article research subject are features of landscape descriptions in the novel by Honore de Balzac «Letters of Two Brides». The novel was written in 1841 and is included in «Scenes of private life», which the writer dedicates it to Georges Sand. The author of the article bases the analysis of Balzac’s book on the landscape descriptions given by L. N. Dmitriyevskaya. She defines the landscape as an artistic image of nature, a «portrait» of the soul and person’s worldview and an image of the world. The landscapes in the novel are multifaceted and include a love motive related to the development of one of the main themes of «Scenes from private life» - topics of women’s happiness. It is manifested in two variations: amour spiritualis (spiritual love) and amour infernalis (love to oneself, love-passion). In the course of work we use historical-literary method, cultural-historical method and method of motive analysis. The relevance and novelty of research is related to the significance of the creativity of Honoré de Balzac in the history of world literature, the constant interest of foreign and domestic scientists to problems of writer’s style and attention to modern literacy study to the ethics of descriptions as an important element of the artistic world and low knowledge of the characteristics of the Balzac’s narrative technique. Landscape descriptions in the novel by Honore de Balzac «Letters of Two Brides» are considered as an important compositional element in the narrative structure. They serve as an exposure to each new stage of heroines’ life. Nature descriptions become «portraits of soul», reflecting the difference in the natures of girls. And yet the landscape becomes one of the main image system components, forming the symbolic space of heaven or hell.

landscape, The Human Comedy, Balzac, Swedenborg, love, woman’s happiness, amor infernalis, amor spiritualis, hell, heaven