About
"Les ailes d'Icare" by Charles de Bernard is a novel written in the mid-19th century. It follows Victor Deslandes, a young provincial magistrate stifled by small-town boredom, whose ambition and envy are stoked by a flamboyant friend basking in Parisian glamour; the story explores the lure of Paris, the vanity of social climbing, and the gap between appearances and reality.
The opening of the novel paints the dreary provincial town of D*** and Victor’s acute ennui on Mardi Gras, then jolts him with a boastful letter from his Paris friend Gustave Blondeau—now styling himself “de Gustan”—who trumpets high-society pleasures while asking for money for a grand speculation. A wry courtroom vignette underscores the pettiness of local justice and Victor’s friction with his president, sharpening his resolve to leave. He secures a generous loan and a powerful introduction from the worldly M. de Loiselay and heads to Paris. There, the glittering front rooms of Gustan’s apartment mask a squalid b
Source and licence
This work is public domain or openly licensed. The licence terms are published by the source.
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