Cousin Bette: Poor Relations, Part One

by Honoré de Balzac

Book Overview

A gripping tale of violent jealousy, sexual passion and treachery, Honor de Balzac's Cousin Bette is translated from the French with an introduction by Marion Ayton Crawford in Penguin Classics.

Poor, plain spinster Bette is compelled to survive on the condescending patronage of her socially superior relatives in Paris: her beautiful, saintly cousin Adeline, the philandering Baron Hulot and their daughter Hortense. Already deeply...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140441603
• ISBN13: 9780140441604
• Release Date: August 1965
• Publisher: Penguin Group
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.1" x 7.8"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Balzac's Last Masterpiece

*Cousin Bette*, or Part One of 'Poor Relations,' is considered to be Honore de Balzac's last great novel, the capstone on an oeuvre that spanned nearly a hundred novels. The author had already begun to ail from overwork by the time of its composition (1846-1847), his methods of genius - sixteen-hour writing days, coupled with crushing "motivational" debt and a penchant for gallons of black coffee - exacting a toll of stress that would claim his life three years later. But if the physical shell was failing, the instrument of the mind retained its strength and perception, as *Cousin Bette*, equal and in some ways superior to Balzac's other masterworks (*Lost Illusions*, *Pere Goirot*), gives ample testament. Of the ten or so works I've read of this French master, this novel was the easiest to dive into and, overall, the most spellbinding and page-turning, no doubt influenced by the manner of its creation. For although Balzac had published a sixteen-volume set of The Human Comedy by the mid 1840's, he had not found the accolades his oeuvre so justly deserved; in fact, he stood in the shadow of Eugene Sue, at the time an enormously popular author who serialized his work in easy tidbits. The serialization of novels had only come about recently, with Dickin's *Pickwick Papers* and Balzac's *The Old Maid* appearing first in 1836. The catch, however, was that Balzac was not an author to chop up and present in segments: his novels work best as a slow, steady read, the tension and enjoyment arising through hundreds of devoured pages until climax and, usually, a pessimistic but realistic denouement. Thus: Sue wrote for the serial; Balzac wrote for himself, and suffered accordingly. The man's ego had to have taken a bruising: "The present situation requires me to write two or three masterful works which will topple the false gods of this bastard literature, and which must demonstrate that I am younger, fresher, and greater writer than ever before!" Vainglorious statements, perhaps, yet proven true by ink, sweat and the stench of unroasted coffee beans: Balzac set to work, composing *Cousin Pons* and *Cousin Bette* as the final duology of his vast sociology opus, emerging from the toil with a final masterpiece and a very good companion novel. Moreover, *Bette* benefited greatly from the conformity to serialization, making it a rare and unique jewel upon the author's tiara. An experienced reader can spot the difference almost immediately. In every other novel I've read of the Human Comedy, the first forty to fifty pages are usually devoted to detailing the histories of the main characters and the environments they exist in. This helps to firmly delineate the particulars in the brain, and makes the resultant tragedy and sarcastic farce all the more potent - yet difficult, I would imagine, for serial readers to cope with. In *Bette*, however, we are thrown into the action immediately with the arrival of self-made magnate Captain Crevel to the H

Balzac's Paris is a pretty mess.

If I had a time machine, I'd want to go back to 1840's Paris. Not the richly cultured Paris of Chopin, Berlioz, and Delacroix, but Balzac's Paris, a circus world where envy, avarice, and revenge drive passionate people to ridiculous extremes. One sin breeds another, and so an envious person can play off another's avarice in order to avenge a perceived slight. I sense that Balzac was essentially a moralist who felt that sins do greater service in comedy, but the sobering effect of tragedy is important for keeping balance.In "Cousin Bette," the title character, Lisbeth "Bette" Fischer, is a plain, middle-aged spinster who has lived her whole life in the shadow of her pretty cousin Adeline. Adeline has married the Baron Hector Hulot D'Ervy, a high-ranking military and government official who nevertheless does not have much money and is an incurable womanizer, overtly keeping mistresses in spite of his wife's inexorable devotion to him. Their daughter, Hortense, becomes enamored with Bette's "boyfriend," a young Polish sculptor named Wenceslas Steinbock, and marries him, believing that his (rather unremarkable) art will bring in a fortune. At this point, Bette feels she has been upstaged one too many times by the Hulot family and resolves to take revenge.One night Baron Hulot spots a beautiful young woman in Bette's apartment building and immediately plots to make her his latest mistress. This is Bette's close friend Valerie Marneffe, whose husband happens to be menially employed in Hulot's department. Bette gets the idea to use Valerie as a siren to entrap the men who have deceived her and enrage their wives. In short order, Valerie seduces Hulot, his friend and romantic rival Monsieur Crevel, and Steinbock, securing for herself large sums of money and eventually marrying Crevel, who is a wealthy retired businessman.I've only scratched the surface of the plot, and yet to reveal any more would be beside the point of a Balzac novel because the quality of his writing is more in the interaction between the characters than in the events that advance the story. I've not yet even mentioned the excellent supporting cast, including Hulot's conscientious son Victorin; his wife Celestine, who happens to be Crevel's daughter; the Brazilian playboy Montejanos, whose fiery passion for Valerie endangers the lives of her and everyone around her; a sinister old woman who goes by a number of aliases and arranges "accidents"; and her accomplice, an elegant courtesan called Carabine. All of these characters fit together perfectly like pieces in a jigsaw puzzle and elevate the novel to exciting new levels of intrigue.Convention would dictate that Bette's revenge be fulfilled and Hulot learn his lesson by the end of the novel, but Balzac has a more realistic outlook than to concede to a reader's expectations. He is a novelist with the dialogue-oriented sensibilities of a playwright and a knack for devising unusually complicated plots by making the most out of

the same, only more and better

When I described my fascination with Balzac to a pal of mine, I said, "yeah, it is all about disillusioned and cynical people" and he replied: "I am already disillusioned and cynical, so why should I read it?"Why indeed. This is indispuably one of the best of Balzac's novels, with clearly drawn characters and grim lives in an inexorable descent to self-destruction, which are the classic Balzac themes. It explores the life of a libertine as he ruins himself and his family for the sake of pursuing pretty girls. Unbekonst to him, he gets help from Bette, a cousin full of secret hatreds and bent on vengence. It is very sad to read. One minor character even commits suicide by repeatedly smashing his head into a nail, his only means to finish himself off he could find in his jail cell.So why read it? Well, again, it is for the wider social portraits that you can find, which are offered almost as an aside. Balzac in one section explains the politics behind the statues you see all over Paris, which is fascinating. You also learn of the career of courtisans, as they use their sex to advance themselves. The book is simply full of these thngs, in addition to the psychology of the many interesting main characters. Also unusual for Balzac is the coherency of the story, which does not degenerate into ramblings like many of his other novels as they weave the tapestry of his Comedie Humaine like so many threads, that is, as vehicles in his vast project to fully portray an entire society with characters re-appearing in different situations and venues throughout his interrelated novels. The characters stand on their own here and are more clearly drawn. Hence, it is a great intro to Balzac and may get you hooked for more, that is, if you are masochistic enough to subject yourself to it!Warmly recommended.

Destiny takes revenge on the ugly lady

In this most paradoxical of all novels, Destiny takes revenge on the ungrateful cousin Bette, eptihome of ugliness of soul. Wonderful tale of unfaithfulness, deception, betrayal and lust, as well as hatred, set in middle Nineteenth century Paris, in the world of high finance and politics. The Hulots are a wealthy family. Hortense is Bette's cousin, who has made a fortunate marriage (to Bette's beloved, though). Hortense is good to her cousin, bringing her to live with them in a beautiful house. The Hulots are good to her, but she only wants revenge. And so, she tries with all her might to destroy the family. She has many chances to do it, because the Hulots are flawed, especially the men, who are womanizers of the highest sort. Intrigue is Bette's favorite sport, intrigue with meanness and cruelty. But no good comes from bad deeds, and life, the always ironic life, will not allow Bette's deeds to accomplish her revenge. She does accomplish much evil and disgrace, but the unfolding of events prevents her from triumph. Fortunately, since the good characters get to go on with their imperfect but mostly rewarding lives. This novel is one of Balzac's best (and there are many good ones). It belongs to the best canon of Western literature and will stand the test of time, once again because it touches on the universal features of human soul, ungratefulness being one of the most pervasive. Highly recommended, not least because the reader enjoys all the back-stabbing and the ultimate defeat of the ugly lady. Indeed, we see that envy is one of the worst sins.

An Ignored Classic

Making a movie of it doesn't erase the world's crime of ignoring this great book. The equal of Dickens and James, Balzac has more energy and spirit, and a brighter palette. Cousin Bette has more plot than David Copperfield and sexier women than Valley of the Dolls. Madame Marneffe may be the most attractive monster (rhymes with itch) in literature, and Cousin Bette herself is all the Furies wrapped in an ugly old maid. One of the top fifty novels of all time.