"The Atheist's Mass" (estimated reading time twenty minutes) is one of several short stories that are among the 91 or so components of Honore de Balzac's La Comedie Humaine. It was written and set in Paris. Henry James said in his essay on Balzac (from his book French Novelists and Poets, published in 1878) says that no novelist ever knew and loved a city nearly as much as Balzac did Paris. James explicitly compares him to Dickens in this. James' essay really is wonderful. One of the points he made in comparing Dickens and Balzac was that Balzac could produce more interesting and complete good characters than Dickens.
"The Atheist's Mass" is a very moving highly worth reading short story. Like anyone who has read much Balzac will expect it is a story about how money dominates lives. It also makes use of perfectly done descriptions of buildings and furniture. The story centers on a very successful Parisian doctor. His clients include the elite of the city but he also for free helps the poor. He is a total atheist, believing only in science, physical things. One day he is observed going to a Mass, praying in, a very devout fashion. His friend who observed this had to ask him why he was there. The doctor told him he was just there to treat the knees of a high ranking priest and he does not want word out in society in disrespects the Mass.
"The Atheist Mass" has two, at least, stories lines. I hate to spoil the really moving true reason for the Atheist's Mass so I won't. Read the story to find out why the doctor sponsers a special mass four times a year.
I found this to be a wonderful story. It lets us see what it was like for the doctor when he was an impoverished medical student as well as showing us the business side of the life of an affluent physician. There is an interesting side plot about a young doctor the atheist adopts as a protege.
Part of the "meaning" of this story is that sometimes an atheist just might be a person of higher morals than a self avowed true theist.
I read this story in The Works of Honore de Balzac, by Delphi Classics. Many of the works were translated by Clara Bell.
I have now read seven components of La Comedie Humaine. I do have way in the back of my mind possibly reading the full works. A lot of the works are novellas and i will be focusing on them in the near future. Henry James lists the greatest works of Balzac so I guess i will benefit from his judgement also in deciding what to read.
I am including this very Paris centered work
as part of my participation in Paris in July, 2014.
Mel u
3 comments:
My guess is that this one is a parable of the artist, with the doctor standing in for Balzac. It's a good one. It is complemented in an interesting way by another Balzac story, "An Episode in the Time of the Terror."
I really need to read more French literature. I have woefully neglected it. This past year I read Moliere for the first time. I haven't even read Alexander Dumas or Victor Hugo yet. Shameful.
I'll look into Balzac.
Amateur Reader (Tom), thanks for the suggestion, it is a great story. Thanks in no small part to your posts on Balzac, I gave in the back of my mind the biggest reading project of my life.
Heidi's Books- thanks for your comment. There is just so much out there it is very frustrating.
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