''Gobseck'', an 1830 novella by

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

author

Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly ; ; born Honoré Balzac; 20 May 1799 – 18 August 1850) was a French novelist and playwright. The novel sequence ''La Comédie humaine'', which presents a panorama of post-Napoleonic French life, is ...

(1799-1850), appears in the ''Scènes de la vie privée'' section of his

novel sequence A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their publ ...

La Comédie humaine (; English: ''The Human Comedy'') is Honoré de Balzac's 1829–48 multi-volume collection of interlinked novels and stories depicting French society in the period of the Restoration (1815–30) and the July Monarchy (1830–48). ''La Com� ...

''. ''Gobseck'' first appeared in outline form in '' La Mode'' in March 1830 under the title ''l'Usurier'' (''The

Usurer Usury () is the practice of making loans that are seen as unfairly enriching the lender. The term may be used in a moral sense—condemning taking advantage of others' misfortunes—or in a legal sense, where an interest rate is charged in ex ...

''), and then in August 1830 in the periodical ''Le Voleur''. The actual novella appeared in a volume published by Mame-Delaunay under the title ''Les Dangers de l'inconduite''. This novella would appear in 1835 under the title of ''Papa Gobseck'' in a volume published by Madame Charles-Béchet. The definitive title of ''Gobseck'' originated in 1842 in the Furne edition of ''La Comédie humaine''.

Plot

The plot of ''Gobseck'', set during the

French Restoration The Bourbon Restoration was the period of French history during which the House of Bourbon returned to power after the fall of Napoleon Bonaparte in 1814 and 1815. The second Bourbon Restoration lasted until the July Revolution of 1830, during ...

period of 1815 to 1830, is framed within a conversation between lawyer Maître Derville and the Vicomtesse de Grandlieu. Derville tells a story which focuses on Anastasie de Restaud, née Goriot. Anastasie, the daughter of a rich bourgeois who has married into the aristocracy, is bored by her marriage, which is loveless and passionless.Patricia Mainardi, ''Husbands, wives, and lovers: marriage and its discontents in nineteenth-century France'' (Yale University Press, 2003), 169. Anastasie de Restaud has an affair with Maxime de Trailles, and spends her fortune on de Trailles. She turns to the usurer Jean-Esther van Gobseck for financial assistance. Maître Derville acts as Gobseck’s lawyer, while Derville's future wife is also one of Gobseck's

debtor A debtor or debitor is a legal entity (legal person) that owes a debt to another entity. The entity may be an individual, a firm, a government, a company or other legal person. The counterparty is called a creditor. When the counterpart of this ...

s. Anastasie's husband finds out about her debts, so he signs a convoluted contract with Gobseck which is supposed to benefit his and Anastasie's children. However, Anastasie destroys that contract during her irrational schemings. Subsequently, both Anastasie's marriage is destroyed and her family fortune lost. Eventually, the elderly Gobseck gains an even larger fortune through factoring. Shortly after his death, Derville discovers many treasures in Gobseck's home, including loads of spoiled food which Gobseck had intended to sell.

Film versions

*'' Gobseck'',

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

film by Konstantin Eggert *'' Gobseck'', Soviet remake of the 1936 film by Alexandre Orlov. * Gobseck, Czechoslovak TV play, 1985 Gobseck (1985 TV film)
at the Czech-Slovak Film Database.

References

External links

* Books of La Comédie humaine Novels set in 19th-century France 1830 French novels Novellas by Honoré de Balzac French novels adapted into films {{1830s-novel-stub