Project Gutenberg 2005-12-03 Public domain in the USA. 307 Balzac, Honoré de 1799 1850 Balzac, Honore de Saint-Aubin, Horace de De Balzac, Honoré Balzac, H. de (Honoré de) Bell, Clara 1834 1927 The Atheist's Mass Wikipedia page about this book: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Messe_de_l%27ath%C3%A9e Produced by Dagny, and David Widger "The Atheist's Mass" by Honoré de Balzac is a short story written in the early 19th century, during the times of Romanticism. The narrative explores themes of faith and skepticism, primarily through the experiences of a prominent surgeon, Desplein, and his relationship with his devoted assistant, Bianchon. This story delves into the complex nature of belief, the contradictions within human behavior, and the depth of gratitude intertwined with personal struggles. The plot centers on Horace Bianchon, who admires his mentor, the great atheist surgeon Desplein. Bianchon is perplexed upon discovering Desplein attending mass at a church, which contradicts his known beliefs. As the story unfolds, Desplein shares the poignant story of his impoverished early years, highlighting the kindness and support of his benefactor, a humble water carrier named Bourgeat. This relationship profoundly influences Desplein's views, leading him to honor Bourgeat's memory by funding masses in his name, despite his lack of faith. Ultimately, the tale captures the intricate balance of personal experience, morality, and the human need for meaning as part of the larger question of existence and spirituality. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 71.7 (7th grade). Fairly easy to read. en French fiction -- Translations into English PQ Text Category: Short Stories Category: French Literature 69919 2025-08-01T08:56:41.463573 text/html 65104 2013-04-04T11:56:34 text/html; charset=us-ascii 95240 2025-08-01T08:56:45.646513 application/epub+zip 93843 2025-08-01T08:56:43.211478 application/epub+zip 93842 2025-08-01T08:56:42.129487 application/epub+zip 194072 2025-08-01T08:56:47.339445 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 186936 2025-08-01T08:56:44.995460 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 159011 2022-09-01T09:59:17.010645 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 58905 2023-10-01T08:11:29.924562 text/plain 16487 2025-08-01T08:56:47.483468 application/rdf+xml 13364 2025-08-01T08:56:42.637492 image/jpeg 3559 2025-08-01T08:56:42.395485 image/jpeg 93374 2025-08-01T08:56:41.471481 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog fr.wikipedia en.wikipedia en.wikipedia