âLost Illusionsâ is a serial novel, written by the French writer, HonorĂ© de Balzac, between 1837 and 1843. It consists of: âTwo Poetsâ, âA Distinguished Provincial at Parisâ, âEve and Davidâ, starting in provincial France, thereafter moving to Paris, and finally returning to the provinces. The story of Lucien Chardon, a young poet from Angouleme who tries desperately to make a name for himself in Paris, is a brilliantly realistic and boldly satirical portrait of provincial manners and aristocratic life. Handsome and ambitious but naive, Lucien is patronized by the beau monde as represented by Madame de Bargeton and her cousin, the formidable Marquise dâEspard, only to be duped by them. Denied the social rank he thought would be his, Lucien discards his poetic aspirations and turns to hack journalism; his descent into Parisian low life ultimately leads to his own death.