1He speaks about the way people are, and this crudity, the result of his personal opinion, is one of the things that please us and make us smile. "What", replied the haughty Négrepelisse. "What", replied Négrepelisse's venerable daughter. "Deep thinker", "frightening". He means that somebody [space in text] : "it is from his tone of voice that [space in text]". He means to give an explanation, he is in a hurry, he gives it and puts simply as a development: "Here is why." For the same reason he amasses things that would require more space: in a phrase he said, he did, he knew, in the end he had the words. And since he has some intelligence everything that he has to say he puts into the phrase without any more concern than by that which (abuses of Séchard's paper, check) And the first month (Ève, check). He hides nothing, he says everything. Also it is surprising to see however that there are beautiful effects of silence in his work. Goncourt was astonished over Education; as for me I am much more astonished by the under the surface in the work of Balzac. "Do you know Rastignac?" "Really?" Similarities, with Maucombe. Physical appearance of Marsay, of Rubempré.
1. Text appears in Ajouter au Balzac de M. de Guermantes
manuscript after "On ne pouvait pas ne pas comparer M. à une vipère
gelée." (One could only compare M. to a frozen viper.) Cahier VI, 66v.
Created 07.03.18