Description

The novel La Cousine Bette, sometimes known as Cousin Bette, was written by French novelist Honoré de Balzac in 1846. It tells the tale of an unmarried middle-aged woman who plans to destroy her extended family and is set in the middle of the 19th century in Paris.Adeline Hulot is coerced into having an affair at the beginning of the book by a wealthy perfumer who wants her to date with Josépha Mirah, one of his favorite singers. The Baron has showered Mirah with money to the extent that he has borrowed considerably from his Uncle Johann. Unable to pay back the loan, the Baron arranges for Johann to work for the War Department in Algeria, with the understanding that Johann will be in a position to steal the borrowed funds.Josépha rejects Baron Hulot, telling him straight out that she has chosen another man due to his wealth.Uncle Johann is detained in Algeria and kills himself; the Baron is abruptly forced to resign; his brother, a well-known war hero, rescues him from prison; and he soon passes away in humiliation over the family scandal. The family is crushed by these constant setbacks, and Bette keeps her schemes hidden from them entirely.