in a manner invoking 'The Rime of The Ancient Mariner' by English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge.

Gleaming with descriptive language depicting the daily tribulations of post-Napoleonic France, 'A Drama on the Seashore' is an absolute must-read for fans of other books in 'The Human Comedy' series. But there is no need for prior acquaintance with the series in order to enjoy this evocative and elegant novel.

Guy de Maupassant, Flaubert and Emile Zola were naturalist writers who were directly influenced by Balzac. Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850) was a French novelist and playwright, most famous for his collection of novels and plays, collectively called "The Human Comedy". His detailed observation of humanity and realistic depiction of society makes him one of the earliest representatives of realism in Europe. He was a master-creator of complex characters that often found themselves in ambiguous moral dilemmas.