Honore De Balzac’s Cousin Bette focuses on obsessions. What makes this novel so fascinating is the way in which the obsessions are interconnected. Although the characters are art-obsessed, their post Napoleonic Paris is unoriginal. The middle-class no longer buys beautiful things. The middle-class hoards its money and then spends what they have on shabby replicas of famous art. These individuals think that it will make them look more affluent. The French middle classes have become copycats of the past. Everyday life is void of originality.
If copying is a common practice, the sweat and hard work that true artists put into each painting or sculpture are not recognized. It is the originality of the piece that is the real “art”, not the aesthetics. The prince is valuing what makes Wenseslas clock unique. He appreciates the artist’s way of holding the clock and turning it as if it was worth something. He values the originality of it most. The bourgeoisie society is “chintzy”, as it copies the aristocratic one, but with much less beauty and class. Balzac seems to have a deep respect for the arts. It is not his worst fetish to be obsessed with great art.
Cousin Bette’s obsession with female beauty and women is also shocking. Valerie is particularly beautiful, and this can cause any man to become obsessed. Balzac compares Valerie to masterpieces of art, saying that her skin looks like marble or porcelain and her eyes look like emeralds. It is true that she is gorgeous by nature, however her ability to cultivate beauty makes her seem like a goddess. Valerie’s ability to describe her beauty in such detail is impressive. From her “beauty spots” to her tea service skills, Valerie is elegant and charming. Valerie’s beauty is so stunning that she even surpasses “the almighty Franc.” She is a piece of living art.
Money obsession is probably the biggest obsession cultivated by the novel. Every character who is important has a need for money or draws their identity from it. Balzac gives us the numbers so we can feel the weight of these sums. It seems that money is involved in all of the exchanges. The sums are extravagant, but the emotions that accompany the exchange are also grand. Balzac portrays a number of characters who view money as an issue of life or death. It can also be a question of honor, love, and chastity.
Cousin Bete’s characters are often tense when they exchange money. A lot of the time, money is exchanged for love or art. Wenseslas is required to sell his artwork; others are required to own it. Valerie’s love must be sold; others need to acquire it.
The men in this novel are willing to spend all they have to be loved, young, handsome and important. Baron Hulot, in particular, spends money he doesn’t have to try and make himself more attractive. Baron Hulot becomes irritated and feels powerless when he realizes that the Duc d’Herouville is better at winning Josepha’s affections. In order to soothe his wounded ego, he uses Valerie’s conquest as a way to satisfy his lust for her and his passion. He creates the illusion of power by constantly drawing money from what appears to be a bottomless pool. In donating what he cannot afford, the baron shows his passion and wealth.
Beauty is used to keep the exchange of money for sex morally acceptable. In Balzac’s universe, the only difference between a woman and a prostitute is her ability to command both her physical beauty and sexual attractiveness. Valerie spends a great deal of time and effort on how she represents herself. She is charming and innocent to society. Valerie cultivates an innocent and good Parisian wife’s appearance to Monsieur Marneffe. Valerie understands that she is attractive because of her facade of respectability and innocence, just like Olympe (another gem), a sixteen-year old girl who has not been spoiled.
Each woman of the bourgeois has her own way of highlighting their attractive – and powerful – characteristics. Valerie enjoys wearing a hair bow that reminds a guy of his garter or a rose placed just so to make a guy look down. These subtleties are not apparent in the bourgeoisie. Only the wealthy can create art from their sexual exchange. Monsieur Crevel, Baron Hulot and others are clumsy when it comes to social graces. This is evident in the way that they hand Valerie money. She accuses Monsieur Crevel even of “making loves in relays”, by giving Valerie just enough money to keep her attached to him. For the Duc d’Herouville to give her “the papers for a thirty-thousand-franc annuity in a white paper bag full of sugared almonds” is to make art out of his own end of the transaction. The recipient of Valerie’s beauty (or Josepha, or Jenny Cadine) must be able to return something valuable in exchange. In the case Baron Hulot or Monsieur Crevel’s old scoundrels they can neither give youth nor beauty. Therefore, they need to spend a great deal of money. Balzac’s universe seems to be a world of only the rich.
Valerie’s attraction to money and power is nearly equal. Baron Hulot has no money but he is well-known and influential in society. Crevel, a retired salesman of perfumes, has his capital and profits. They lose their power, despite having such a strong identity on their own. Valerie’s beauty makes it impossible to love her. She is the only one who can. She is the only one who can give Hulot or Crevel what they want. She has what they want, but she could have it from any man. Valerie always wins in the end. Money always wins in Balzac’s World. Art is the only thing to beat it.
