Super Short Summary

In Honoré de Balzac's novella "Sarrasine," French sculptor Ernest-Jean Sarrasine falls deeply in love with opera singer La Zambinella, whom he idolizes as an epitome of beauty. However, Zambinella harbors a secret that ultimately shatters Sarrasine's idealizations, leading to tragic consequences. The tale is framed by a narrator recounting these events at a Parisian ball hosted by the de Lanty family, whose own secrets are intertwined with Sarrasine’s story.