Balzac's novella "The Reformed Memet" is the only work in his "Human Comedy" series that borrows fictional characters from other writers, continuing Maturin's Gothic novel "The Wanderer Memet". The novel tells the story of Castanee, a Parisian bank teller in the 1820s, who fell into a desperate situation due to financial fraud. Memet traded his extraordinary soul for him to escape legal sanctions. Balzac borrowed Maturin's "contract" theme in the sequel, which is the fantasy theme of humans signing a contract with the devil to sell their souls for infinite power, and proposed adding a final chapter to Maturin's novel to reverse the fate of the "cursed". The "Reformed Memet" is an important work of Balzac's early creation, with complex literary features that are controversial. Some scholars believe that it is a typical fantasy story and a representative work of the 1830s fantasy story creation craze. French fantasy stories mainly depict mysterious sudden invasions in real-life environments, linked to pathological states of human consciousness, presenting anxious and fearful scenes projected by phenomena such as nightmares or madness. Balzac was a key force driving this trend, having already created multiple fantasy stories before publishing 'The Reformed Memet'. However, if we examine "The Reformed Memet" within the hierarchical creative framework of Balzac, we can find that it is actually a transitional work produced by the author in the process of stepping out of fantasy themes and turning to realistic writing. It is the connecting point between "philosophical research" and "customs research" in "Human Comedy". On the one hand, it is the final chapter of "philosophical research", and in this research series, there are also "The Donkey Skin" that showcases the theme of "contract" and "The Longevity Potion" that depicts supernatural phenomena. Therefore, 'The Reformed Mamot' should be the concluding work of the fantasy story in 'The Human Comedy'. On the other hand, Balzac skillfully portrays the prosperous and decadent modern Parisian financial world while recounting Castanee's supernatural experiences. The socio-economic perspective adopted by the author closely links "The Reformed Memet" with the realist narratives depicting "Parisian life scenes" that were being constructed at the time, such as "The Story of the Thirteen," "The Old Man," "The Bank of Neuchingen," and "Disillusionment. It can be seen that 'The Reformed Memet' appeared during the transitional period of Balzac's writing career. The writer did not simply imitate Maturin's "contract" theme, but mixed a dual writing style of fantasy and realism in his creation. Surrealist thinker Lebrun believed that in "The Reformed Memmot," the themes and stylistic elements of fantasy stories were weakened or dissolved in the author's realistic writing style of exposing the modern money society. Balzac's creation of "The Reformed Memet" was not intended to imitate fantasy themes, but rather a "rectification measure" taken "under a strong realistic will": Balzac, who aspired to devote himself to "social research" after 1835, needed to break away from his own "black novel" creation by outputting "The Reformed Memet", in order to "open the door to novels depicting the material enjoyment of the 19th century's complacent bourgeoisie". This article argues that 'The Reformed Memet' is a parody style rewrite of the Gothic novel 'The Wanderer Memet'. Balzac imitated, ridiculed, and even subverted the theme and style of "The Wanderer", using irrational elements such as gods, monsters, and illusions to serve his realistic writing style of exposing moral customs and syndrome in the money society, thus writing a "social fantasy" story. This article will analyze the variation and recombination of the themes and stylistic elements of "The Wanderer Memet" in "The Reformed Memet" through text comparison, thereby revealing the literary characteristics of the latter and the realistic critical connotations it contains.

Hell like Paris after 1815: Localization and Modernization of Gothic Cities

The Reformed Memet "is a continuation of" The Wanderer Memet "by Balzac, which shifts the story background of the 17th century aristocratic boy Memet to Paris after 1815 and reflects the current social situation in France through Memet's perspective. Balzac was dissatisfied with the ending of the original work and believed that Memet should go to Paris to find a successor. This rewriting reflects the difference between English Gothic novels and French black novels, with the former evoking memories of the Glorious Revolution and the latter reflecting the social unrest and political crisis after the French Revolution. Balzac grafted the "contract" theme of Memet onto the social critical connotation of French black novels, establishing the rationality of Memet's appearance in modern France. He depicted a Paris with a lack of faith and a focus on money, likening modern Paris corrupted by money to hell and drawing inspiration from Dante's Divine Comedy's fantastical metaphors. The protagonist of the novel, Castanee, is a representative of the petite bourgeoisie who has witnessed the power of money firsthand. Due to his indulgence in life, he commits fraud and becomes a slave to money. Castanee was chosen by Memet as his successor, but did not exhibit the typical personality traits of a 'cursed one', instead appearing mediocre and weak. Balzac parodied Maturin's theme of "contract" by comparing the images of Memet and Castanee.

The dual ghost in the financial circle: the opposition between Gothic nobility and bourgeois mediocrity

This chapter explores the opposition between Gothic nobility and bourgeois mediocrity through the encounter of Memet and Castagne at the Neuchingen Bank. Memet is depicted as a "Brit" with supernatural abilities, while Castanee is a representative of the petite bourgeoisie, forming a sharp contrast with Memet's image. Balzac used this contrast to showcase the supernatural plot in Gothic novels and created a sense of 'black nobility'. At the same time, Castanee's image also reflects the current moral customs of French capitalist society in the early 19th century, revealing the impact of the lack of religious beliefs on society. Balzac used supernatural themes to tell a contradictory story and explore the philosophical issue of "atheism". Castanee's skepticism of faith carries the author's doubts about whether the French people in the 19th century still needed religious constraints and guidance. In the end, Balzac negated the sanctity and binding force of religious beliefs through the outcome of Castanee's "reform", emphasizing that money is the fundamental element driving the development of modern capitalist society in France.

The devaluation of the soul contract: the absence of religious beliefs and the victory of the 'money principle'

Explored how Balzac subverted the traditional theme of "contract" through his work "The Reformed Memet", revealing the lack of religious belief and the triumph of monetary principles in modern society. In the original work, Memet is consumed by dark forces, while Balzac allows the protagonist to escape the curse through soul replacement. After the deal between Castanee and Memet, he became cold and intelligent, but could not experience true pleasure, and the emptiness in his heart could not be filled. Balzac revealed the moral decline and financial corruption caused by the lack of faith through the predicament of Castanee. Castanee eventually realized the hypocrisy of religion and decided to transfer the "contract" like Memet. Balzac jokingly hinted at the corruption of religious power, pointing out that religious order had been bought off by money. He revealed through the cyclical buying and selling of "contracts" that money is the true devil in modern society, satisfying people's desires and corroding their souls by signing contracts. Balzac's work is a parody style rewrite of Maturin's Gothic novels, using realistic fields instead of illusory backgrounds, and presenting supernatural characters and illusions through satirical and satirical narrative techniques, showcasing the "social fantasy" drama triggered by the desire for money in modern society.