When the narrator and his wife visit an idyllic and picturesque town near the sea they meet a fisherman and a hermit. The ubiquitous poverty and squalor of the seaside town spills over into the lives of its inhabitants. It is only to be expected that the two spouses are moored by the talkative fisherman in a manner invoking 'The Rime of The Ancient Mariner' by English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Gleaming with descriptive language depicting the daily tribulations of post-Napoleonic France, 'A Drama on the Seashore' is an absolute must-read for fans of other books in 'The Human Comedy' series. But there is no need for prior acquaintance with the series in order to enjoy this evocative and elegant novel. Guy de Maupassant, Flaubert and Emile Zola were naturalist writers who were directly influenced by Balzac.-