Résumé
This volume is made up of the three parts of the novel Illusions perdues ("Lost Illusions"): Les Deux Poètes ("The Two Poets"), Un grand homme de province à Paris ("A Great Man of the Provinces in Paris"), and Ève et David.
The story follows Lucien Chardon, an aspiring poet from the provinces who moves to Paris to seek fame and fortune.
The novel explores themes of social climbing, ambition, and the corrupting influence of Parisian life on provincial innocence.