A Private Drama of Sexual Identity: Balzac's Le Medecin de campagne

Balzac's novel of 1833 is structured by a hitherto unacknowledged preoccupation with sexual identity. A bond between Benassis and Genestas is created by their respective stories. The valorisation of the masculine is emphasized throughout, particularly in depictions of the male body and male physiognomies. Especially revealing are the two stories recounted by Genestas, the second of which constitutes a self-reflexive illustration of the passage from the autobiographical to the novelistic. A link with Balzac's own sexuality is tempting but elusive. The evocation of uncertain sexual identity is essentially a privileged example of the suggestive ambiguity of the Balzacian text. (mt)