Cousin Bette (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Honoré Balzac
- First Published: 1846
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Social realism
- Time of Work: Early nineteenth century
- Setting: Paris
- Principal Characters: Baron Hulot, Adeline, Hortense, Victorin, Lisbeth, Monsieur Crevel, Célestine, Colonel Hulot, Madame Valérie Marneffe, Monsieur Marneffe, Count Steinbock, Baron Montès
- Genres: Long fiction, Bourgeois fiction
- Subjects: France or French people, Nineteenth century, Marriage, Paris, Pregnancy, Adultery, Death or dying, Revenge, Bankruptcy or financial crisis
- Locales: Paris, France
The Story:
One day in the summer of 1838, M. Crevel called on Adeline, the Baroness Hulot, to offer to make her his mistress, but she refused him. M. Crevel had sworn to be revenged on Baron Hulot, who had stolen his former mistress. The baron had, however, spent his fortune in the process and was now unable to give his daughter Hortense a satisfactory dowry. Hortense was able to forget her sorrow over her own marriage prospects by teasing Adeline’s cousin Lisbeth, or Cousin Bette, about her lover. Cousin Bette was the old maid of the family, and her lover was a sculptor and...
[The entire page is 2480 words long]
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