The novel «The Quest of the Absolute» (1834) was written by Honoré de Balzac and is part of the cycle «The Human Comedy». The events take place in the early 19th century, after the French Revolution, during the period of the Napoleonic Wars and the restoration of the monarchy. The work explores human striving for knowledge and obsession with an ideal, showing how the protagonist’s passion influences his life and the lives of those around him. The novel combines social depiction and a psychological portrait of the main character, which are typical features of Balzac’s prose.
