LA COUSINE BETTE

This book is included in the 13th series of our “The Most Classical English Literature Library”. It is a selection of Cousin Bette, a classic work by Balzac, a French novelist. Cousin Bette is a long novel written by the French writer Balzac in his later years. The story takes place in Paris in 1838 and revolves around the fate of the family of Baron Lo De Elvie. The baron, who was a military auditor in the republican era and a quartermaster general, is now the head of one of the most important departments of the War Ministry, a counsellor of state, and has been awarded a second-class rank in the Legion of Honor. The novel narrates how he was driven by insane lust that lost his reason and morality, and step by step he corrupted his family’s reputation and the honor of the army, embarking on the criminal path of speculation and fraud, embezzling military funds, and finally losing his reputation. The character of Hulot is symbolic. His fall means the end of the glory of the old era and reflects the moral corruption of the entire upper-class society.