Vendetta

What It's About

Set in Paris in 1815, in the turbulent months after Napoleon's fall, this short novel follows Ginevra Piombo, the gifted young daughter of Bartolomeo di Piombo, a proud Corsican and devoted follower of Napoleon. Ginevra studies painting in the studio of the artist Servin, where she meets Luigi Porta, a young Bonapartist officer in hiding and the last survivor of a family destroyed in a bloody feud with her own. Her father's fury at their love forces an impossible choice between family loyalty and the man she loves. What follows tests whether love can survive in a world governed by honour, pride and poverty. It forms part of Balzac's Scenes from Private Life.

Key Concepts

The Corsican code of vendetta, in which honour demands vengeance and grudges outlive generations, drives the story. Balzac sets it against the individual's right to choose, in a clash between paternal authority and a daughter's independence. The politics of the Restoration run beneath the plot, as defeated Bonapartists become outcasts in a changed France. Ginevra's work as a painter also gives her a measure of independence unusual for a young woman of her time.

About the Author

Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850) was a French novelist and playwright, widely regarded as a founder of literary realism in Europe. Born in Tours, he trained in law and worked briefly as a lawyer's clerk before turning to writing. He was famously prolific and often in debt, and he became known for his detailed, unsentimental portrayal of French society after the Revolution.

About This Edition

This is an 1895 translation by Katharine Prescott Wormeley.