Eugénie Grandet

Who is going to marry Eugenie Grandet? This is the question that fills theminds of the inhabitants of Saumur the setting for Eugenie Grandet 1833 oneof the earl... » 

Who is going to marry Eugenie Grandet? This is the question that fills theminds of the inhabitants of Saumur the setting for Eugenie Grandet 1833 oneof the earliest and most famous novels in Balzacs Comedie humaine. The Grandethousehold oppressed by the exacting miserliness of Grandet himself is jerkedviolently out of routine by the sudden arrival of Eugenies cousin Charlesrecently orphaned and penniless. Eugenies emotional awakening stimulated byher love for her cousin brings her into direct conflict with her father whosecunning and financial success are matched against her determination to rebel.Eugenies moving story is set against the backdrop of provincial oppressionthe vicissitudes of the wine trade and the workings of the financial system inthe aftermath of the French Revolution. It is both a poignant portrayal ofprivate life and a vigorous fictional document of its age. «