Modeste Mignon
'Modeste Mignon' Summary
The first part of Modeste Mignon is based on a traditional species of folktale known as La fille mal gardée ("The Ill-Watched Girl"), in which a young woman takes a lover despite the close attentions of her guardians, who are determined to preserve her chastity for a more suitable match. Modeste Mignon, a young provincial woman of romantic temperament, imagines herself to be in love with the famous Parisian poet Melchior de Canalis, whose works have filled her with passion. She corresponds with him, but he is unmoved by her attentions. Canalis invites his secretary Ernest de la Brière to deal with the matter. Ernest replies to Modeste in Canalis' name; a dangerous intrigue ensues, which sees Ernest appear in Modeste's home town of Ingouville (near Le Havre) disguised as Canalis. The plot is complicated by the interference of Modeste's family and friends, who suspect that she has secretly taken a lover. The wily dwarf Butscha, who loves Modeste as a medieval knight might have loved a lady far above his station, is determined to unmask the man. Things come to a head when Ernest discovers that Modeste's father Charles Mignon has returned from his long exile a very wealthy man: Modeste is no longer a poor provincial girl but a rich heiress with six million francs to her name. Ernest reveals his true identity, but Modeste feels humiliated and casts him off. When Modeste's true worth becomes generally known, Canalis takes a renewed interest in her and believes that his poetic ardour will enable him to win her heart. But his secretary is no longer his only rival: a local wealthy potentate the Duc d'Hérouville now regards the nouveau-riche Modeste Mignon as a suitable match and throws his hat into the ring.
The second part of the novel is also based on a traditional story-type, The Rival Suitors. Ernest, Canalis and the Duc d'Hérouville are invited to Ingouville to compete for the hand of Modeste. Still smarting from the trick played on her by Ernest, Modeste is determined to choose between the passionate advances of the poet and the prospect of becoming a duchess should she accept Hérouville. Butscha, however, who realizes that Ernest is the one who truly loves her, is equally determined to expose the pretensions of Canalis and promote Ernest's suit. Thanks to Butscha's intrigues and her father's good sense, Modeste chooses Ernest and the two are married.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
FrenchPublished In
1844Author
Honoré de Balzac
France
Honoré de was a French novelist and playwright. The novel sequence La Comédie humaine, which presents a panorama of post-Napoleonic French life, is generally viewed as his magnum opus....
More on Honoré de BalzacDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
- Select Speed
Related books
Miss Dee Dunmore Bryant by Pansy (Isabella Macdonald Alden)
Miss Dee Dunmore Bryant is a young woman with a secret. She is a gifted psychic, and she can see the future. But her gift is also a curse, as she is o...
The Firm of Nucingen by Honoré de Balzac
Part of the Comedie Humane and a "supplementary" tale to go with Father Goriot and Gobseck. Nucingen is the married family name of one of Father Gorio...
Belinda by Maria Edgeworth
When Belinda was published in 1801, it became both controversial and popular. Controversial because of the inter-racial marriage presented in the nove...
The Human Boy Again by Eden Phillpotts
Step back in time to the turn-of-the-century English boarding school, where a group of mischievous boys embark on hilarious adventures and learn valua...
In Search of Mademoiselle by George Gibbs
Embark on a captivating adventure through the intrigue of 17th century France as George Gibbs's "In Search of Mademoiselle" unveils a tale of mistaken...
Roderick Hudson by Henry James
Rowland Mallet, a wealthy Bostonian bachelor and art connoisseur, visits his cousin Cecilia in Northampton, Massachusetts, before leaving for Europe....
The Caxtons: A Family Picture by Edward George Bulwer-Lytton
The Caxtons: A Family Picture is an 1849 Victorian novel by Edward Bulwer-Lytton that was popular in its time. The book was first serialized anonymou...
The Matador of the Five Towns and Other Stories by Arnold Bennett
Twenty-two short stories by Arnold Bennett, mainly set in the 'Five Towns', Bennett's name for the pottery manufacturing towns of the English midlands...
The Pretty Lady by Arnold Bennett
Christine, a French prostitute, flees to London during World War I in search of a better life. She meets and falls in love with Hoape, a wealthy Engli...
White Fang by Jack London
The most appealing aspect of White Fang is that it's told from the point of view of an animal, in this case an Alaskan Husky. Like Black Beauty by Ann...
Reviews for Modeste Mignon
No reviews posted or approved, yet...