Opache, geniali? Qualche appunto sulle pagine dell'Avant-propos

Following Taine «pour comprendre et juger Balzac, il faut connaître son humeur et sa vie. L’une et l’autre ont nourri ses romans» (Nouveaux essais de critique et d’histoire, 1865). In this work we try to follow his suggestion, even in the light of the Genette categories, by considering the Avant-propos to La Comédie humaine, one of his most important theoretical writings. Even on this ground the Taine’s interpretation proves fruitful: conceived allograph but then written by Balzac himself, the Avant-propos seems to be deeply connected to the events that accompanied its birth.