Sarrasine

La Comédie Humaine is fundamentally a social commentary, frequently critiquing elements of society through satire and ridicule, and one of the tools it employs is irony. Irony is a device through which words or events mean something different—often contradictory—to their usual meaning. Verbal irony often takes the form of sarcasm, as in Madame de Rochefide’s ironic praise for the “hospitality” of Paris, which in fact critiques Parisian society’s lack of morals and discernment (Paragraph 202). Irony can also be situational, arising from the gap between what one would expect and what is actually the case. The most notable source of situational irony in the novella stems from Sarrasine’s misapprehension that La Zambinella is female. Prior to the revelation that La Zambinella is in fact a castrato, Sarrasine perceives the other man as a feminine ideal embodying all the stereotypical womanly traits and virtues, such as modesty, “daintiness”, capriciousness, and “coquetry.” This literary device is therefore closely tied to the theme of gender as a performance.

Balzac uses anagnorisis—the sudden revelation of a key but hitherto unknown fact—twice in the conclusion of Sarrasine. In the first instance, Sarrasine discovers that the object of his obsession and infatuation is a castrato rather than a woman. Then, in the framing narrative, the narrator reveals to Mme. de Rochefide that the elderly relative of the de Lanty family is La Zambinella. Balzac frequently uses foreshadowing to hint at the impending anagnorisis, inviting the reader to pay attention and speculate as they read, adding to the interest and appeal of the text. The moments of anagnorisis are climaxes that break the tension of the narrative, providing a dramatic moment of catharsis and satisfaction.