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''Louis Lambert'' is an 1832 novel by French novelist and playwright Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850), included in the ''Études philosophiques'' section of his novel sequence ''La Comédie humaine''. Set mostly in a school at Vendôme, it examines the life and theories of a boy genius fascinated by the Swedish philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772). Balzac wrote ''Louis Lambert'' during the summer of 1832 while he was staying with friends at the Château de Saché, and published three editions with three different titles. The novel contains a minimal plot, focusing mostly on the metaphysical ideas of its boy-genius protagonist and his only friend (eventually revealed to be Balzac himself). Although it is not a significant example of the realist style for which Balzac became famous, the novel provides insight into the author's own childhood. Specific details and events from the author's life – including punishment from teachers and social ostracism – suggest a fictionalized autobiography. While he was a student at Vendôme, Balzac wrote an essay called ''Traité de la Volonté'' ("Treatise on the Will"); it is described in the novel as being written by Louis Lambert. The essay discusses the philosophy of Swedenborg and others, although Balzac did not explore many of the metaphysical concepts until much later in his life. Ideas analyzed in the essay and elsewhere in the novel include the split between inward and outward existence; the presence of angels and spiritual enlightenment; and the interplay between genius and madness. Although critics panned the novel, Balzac remained steadfast in his belief that it provided an important look at philosophy, especially metaphysics. As he developed the scheme for ''La Comédie humaine'', he placed ''Louis Lambert'' in the ''Études philosophiques'' section, and later returned to the same themes in his novel ''Séraphîta'', about an androgynous angelic creature. == Background == By 1832, Honoré de Balzac had begun to make a name for himself as a writer. The second of five children, Balzac was sent to the Oratorian College de Vendôme at the age of eight.〔Robb, p. 12; Maurois, p. 29.〕 He returned from the school six years later, sickly and weak. He was taught by tutors and private schools for two and a half years, then attended the Sorbonne in Paris. After training as a law clerk for three years, he moved into a tiny garret in 1819 and began writing.〔Robb, pp. 27–53.〕 His first efforts, published under a variety of pseudonyms, were cheaply printed potboiler novels. In 1829 he finally released a novel under his own name, titled ''Les Chouans''; it was a minor success, though it did not earn the author enough money to relieve his considerable debt.〔Robb, pp. 145–174.〕 He found fame soon afterwards with a series of novels including ''La Physiologie du mariage'' (1829), ''Sarrasine'' (1830), and ''La Peau de chagrin'' (1831).〔Robb, pp. 162–186; Maurois, pp. 155–180.〕 In 1831 Balzac published a short story called "Les Proscrits" ("The Exiles"), about two poets named Dante and Godefroid de Gand who attend the Sorbonne at the start of the fourteenth century. It explores questions of metaphysics and mysticism, particularly the spiritual quest for illuminism and enlightenment. Balzac had been influenced greatly as a young man by the Swedish philosopher Emanuel Swedenborg, whose theories permeate "Les Proscrits".〔Hunt, p. 37; Dedinsky, p. 45; Oliver, pp. 112–113.〕 The story was published – alongside ''La Peau de chagrin'', which also delves into metaphysics – as part of an 1831 collection entitled ''Romans et contes philosophiques'' ("Philosophical novels and stories").〔Saintsbury, p. xii.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Louis Lambert (novel)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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