''Gobseck'', an 1830 novella by French author

Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly , ; born Honoré Balzac;Jean-Louis Dega, La vie prodigieuse de Bernard-François Balssa, père d'Honoré de Balzac : Aux sources historiques de La Comédie humaine, Rodez, Subervie, 1998, 665 p. 20 May 179 ...

(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 pub ...

La Comédie humaine LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States. La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * La (musical note), or A, the sixth note * "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...

''. ''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 unethical or immoral monetary loans that unfairly enrich 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 c ...

''), 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 first fall of Napoleon on 3 May 1814. Briefly interrupted by the Hundred Days War in 1815, the Restoration lasted until the ...

, is framed within a conversation between lawyer Maître Derville and Vicomtesse de Grandlieu. Derville tells a story which focuses on Anastasie de Restaud, née Goriot. Anastasie de Restaud is the daughter of a rich bourgeois who has married into the aristocracy, but 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 Usury () is the practice of making unethical or immoral monetary loans that unfairly enrich 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 c ...

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 debtors. 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 is lost. Eventually, 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 ''Gobseck'', an 1830 novella by French author Honoré de Balzac (1799-1850), appears in the ''Scènes de la vie privée'' section of his novel sequence ''La Comédie humaine''. ''Gobseck'' first appeared in outline form in '' La Mode'' in March 1 ...

'',

Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...

film by

Konstantin Eggert Konstantin Vladimorovich Eggert (russian: Константин Владимирович Эггерт; 9 October 1883 – 24 October 1955) was a Russian actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The acto ...

*''

'', 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