This volume collects 23 essays by professors of French, English, and history that convey a sense of what Balzac's realist novel Old Goriot may mean to students and teachers today, more than 150 years after its first publication. Editor Ginsburg's (Northwestern U.) introductory section discusses various editions and translations, background readings, and audio-visual materials, and contains a map of early 19th-century Paris together with a glossary of sites mentioned in the novel. Subsequent contributions examine the novel in various contexts, suggest diverse approaches to teaching (including feminist and psychoanalytic interpretations), and discuss use of the novel in courses on French culture, comparative literature, urban history, and other topics. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)