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''La Cousine Bette'' ((:la kuzin bɛt), ''Cousin Bette'') is an 1846 novel by French author Honoré de Balzac. Set in mid-19th century Paris, it tells the story of an unmarried middle-aged woman who plots the destruction of her extended family. Bette works with Valérie Marneffe, an unhappily married young lady, to seduce and torment a series of men. One of these is Baron Hector Hulot, husband to Bette's cousin Adeline. He sacrifices his family's fortune and good name to please Valérie, who leaves him for a tradesman named Crevel. The book is part of the ''Scènes de la vie parisienne'' section of Balzac's novel sequence ''La Comédie humaine'' ("The Human Comedy"). In the 1840s, a serial format known as the ''roman-feuilleton'' was highly popular in France, and the most acclaimed expression of it was the socialist writing of Eugène Sue. Balzac wanted to challenge Sue's supremacy, and prove himself the most capable ''feuilleton'' author in France. Writing quickly and with intense focus, Balzac produced ''La Cousine Bette'', one of his longest novels, in two months. It was published in ''Le Constitutionnel'' at the end of 1846, then collected with a companion work, ''Le Cousin Pons'', the following year. The novel's characters represent polarities of contrasting morality. The vengeful Bette and disingenuous Valérie stand on one side, with the merciful Adeline and her patient daughter Hortense on the other. The patriarch of the Hulot family, meanwhile, is consumed by his own sexual desire. Hortense's husband, the Polish exile Wenceslas Steinbock, represents artistic genius, though he succumbs to uncertainty and lack of motivation. Balzac based the character of Bette in part on his mother and the poet Marceline Desbordes-Valmore. At least one scene involving Baron Hulot was likely based on an event in the life of Balzac's friend, the novelist Victor Hugo. ''La Cousine Bette'' is considered Balzac's last great work. His trademark use of realist detail combines with a panorama of characters returning from earlier novels. Several critics have hailed it as a turning point in the author's career, and others have called it a prototypical naturalist text. It has been compared to William Shakespeare's ''Othello'' as well as Leo Tolstoy's ''War and Peace''. The novel explores themes of vice and virtue, as well as the influence of money on French society. Bette's relationship with Valérie is also seen as an important exploration of homoerotic themes. A number of film versions of the story have been produced, including a 1971 BBC mini-series starring Margaret Tyzack and Helen Mirren, and a 1998 feature film with Jessica Lange in the title role. ==Background== By 1846 Honoré de Balzac had achieved tremendous fame as a writer, but his finances and health were deteriorating rapidly. After writing a series of potboiler novels in the 1820s, he published his first book under his own name, ''Les Chouans'' ("The Chouans"), in 1829. He followed this with dozens of well-received novels and stories, including ''La Peau de chagrin'' ("The Magic Skin"), in 1831, ''Le Père Goriot'' ("Father Goriot") in 1835, and the two-volume ''Illusions perdues'' ("Lost Illusions"), in 1837 and 1839. Because of his lavish lifestyle and penchant for financial speculation, however, he spent most of his life trying to repay a variety of debts. He wrote tirelessly, driven as much by economic necessity as by the muse and black coffee. This regimen of constant work exhausted his body and brought reprimands from his doctor.〔Pritchett, pp. 111 and 199; Gerson, p. 250; Hunt, p. 375; Maurois, pp. 485–486; Floyd, p. 246.〕 As his work gained recognition, Balzac began corresponding with a Polish baroness named Ewelina Hańska, who first contacted him through an anonymous 1832 letter signed "''L'Étrangère''" ("The Stranger"). They developed an affectionate friendship in letters, and when she became a widow in 1841, Balzac sought her hand in marriage. He visited her often in Poland and Germany, but various complications prohibited their union. One of these was an affair Balzac had with his housekeeper, Louise Breugniot. As she became aware of his affection for Mme. Hanska, Breugniot stole a collection of their letters and used them to extort money from Balzac. Even after this episode, however, he grew closer to Mme. Hanska with each visit and by 1846 he had begun preparing a home to share with her. He grew hopeful that they could marry when she became pregnant, but she fell ill in December and suffered a miscarriage.〔Robb, pp. 223–227, 337–338, and 403; Pritchett, pp. 261–262; Gerson, pp. 152–162 and 323–354. Gerson and Maurois indicate that the baby was "born prematurely" and died soon afterwards; Robb and Pritchett describe it as a miscarriage.〕 The mid-19th century was a time of profound transformation in French government and society. The reign of King Charles X ended in 1830 when a wave of agitation and dissent forced him to abdicate. He was replaced by Louis-Philippe, who named himself "King of the French", rather than the standard "King of France" – an indication that he answered more to the nascent bourgeoisie than the aristocratic ''Ancien Régime''. The change in government took place while the economy in France was moving from mercantilism to industrial development. This opened new opportunities for individuals hoping to acquire wealth, and led to significant changes in social norms. Members of the aristocracy, for example, were forced to relate socially to the ''nouveau riche'', usually with tense results. The democratic spirit of the French Revolution also affected social interactions, with a shift in popular allegiance away from the church and the monarchy.〔Robb, pp. 172 and 315–316; Mishra, p. 185.〕 In the mid-19th century, a new style of novel became popular in France. The serial format known as the ''roman-feuilleton'' presented stories in short regular installments, often accompanied by melodramatic plots and stock characters. Although Balzac's ''La Vieille Fille'' (''The Old Maid''), 1836, was the first such work published in France,〔Bellos, ''Bette'', p. 75. He notes that this was roughly the same moment when Dickens was introducing the English serial with ''Pickwick Papers''. See also Stowe, pp. 101–102.〕 the ''roman-feuilleton'' gained prominence thanks mostly to his friends Eugène Sue and Alexandre Dumas, père.〔Bellos, ''Criticism'', p. 19; Stowe, p. 102.〕 Balzac disliked their serial writing, however, especially Sue's socialist depiction of lower-class suffering.〔Bellos, ''Bette'', pp. 76–77.〕 Balzac wanted to dethrone what he called "les faux dieux de cette littérature bâtarde" ("the false gods of this bastard literature").〔Quoted in Hunt, p. 375.〕 He also wanted to show the world that, despite his poor health and tumultuous career, he was "plus jeune, plus frais, et plus grand que jamais" ("younger, fresher, and greater than ever").〔 His first efforts to render a quality ''feuilleton'' were unsuccessful. Even though ''Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes'' ("A Harlot High and Low"), published in segments from 1838 to 1847, was celebrated by critics, Balzac complained to Mme. Hanska that he was "doing pure Sue".〔Quoted in Stowe, p. 102.〕 He tried again in 1844 with ''Modeste Mignon'', but public reactions were mixed.〔Hunt, pp. 325–326; Stowe, p. 102.〕 Two years later Balzac began a new project, determined to create something from his "own old pen again".〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Cousin Bette」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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