The Quest of the Absolute


The Quest of the Absolute is a novel by Honoré [de Balzac]. The novel first appeared in 1834, with seven chapter-divisions, as a Scène de la vie privée; was published by itself in 1839 by Charpentier; and took its final place as a part of the Comédie humaine|Comédie] in 1845.
The astronomer Ernest Laugier helped Balzac in the use of chemical terminology in this novel.

In popular culture

In François Truffaut's 1959 film The [400 Blows], teenager Antoine Doinel idolizes Balzac's work and depicts 'my grandfather's death' in a school essay, based on the plot of The Quest of the Absolute, leading his teacher to accuse of him of plagiarizing, causing him to quit school.