I just got a kindle, and was paging through Project Gutenberg’s library, and I saw Balzac. I’ve always meant to read him, but never did. It looks like he wrote a lot of stuff – what are considered his best/most accessible/most interesting works? I’ve downloaded Cousin Betty and Father Goriot, since I seem to remember hearing of those before.
If it helps, I like Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Alexandre Dumas, Victor Hugo… I don’t like Dickens or Chaucer. I honestly don’t know what likes or dislikes would help with a recommendation, so I just named those somewhat randomly.
Father Goriot is definitely great and a very good introduction to Balzac. Lost Illusions would be a natural follow up and itself has a sequel in The Splendours and Miseries of Courtesans. For something lighter you could try the Thirteen stories. They are Ferragus, The Duchess of Langeais and The Girl With the Golden Eyes. They all involve the mysterious brotherhood of the Thirteen. The Girl With The Golden Eyes was the first thing I ever read by Balzac and even if the story ended up being a bit disappointing, the opening paragraphs (a description of Paris and its inhabitants based on the characteristics of the city’s streets) were so stunning I was immediately hooked on La Comédie Humaine .
I was going to chime in with The Wild Ass’s Skin as a favorite of mine as well as his Physiology of Marriage.
Thanks for reminding me that I’m sitting on a whole set of his fiction which I need to get back to and desperately wish his non-fiction was more widely available.