Père Goriot

by

Honoré de Balzac

Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauséant Character Analysis

– The vicomtesse is Rastignacs distant cousin. His aunt, Madame de Marcillac, introduces them. The vicomtesse is one of the richest and most famous aristocrats in Paris society; though she’s married, she is having an affair with the Marquis d’Ajuda-Pinto. The vicomtesse doesn’t learn until the last minute—long after the rest of Paris society—that the marquis is marrying someone else, and she chooses to leave Paris rather than continue to live before society in a state of humiliation and pretended composure. She agrees to serve as a kind of “fairy godmother” to Rastignac and is genuinely fond of him, and he is devoted to her in turn. Although the vicomtesse advises him never to reveal his true feelings and to use other people, the novel suggests that she ultimately possesses greater integrity than that, and that she isn’t willing to play by society’s restrictive rules.

Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauséant Quotes in Père Goriot

The Père Goriot quotes below are all either spoken by Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauséant or refer to Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauséant. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The False Allure of Wealth Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

By pronouncing the name of Père Goriot Eugène had again waved the magic wand, but this time with an effect quite contrary to that produced by the words ‘related to Madame de Beauséant.’ He was in the situation of someone admitted as a favour into the house of a curio collector who inadvertently knocks into a cabinet full of sculptured figures, breaking off three or four insecurely fastened heads. He wished the earth would swallow him up.

Related Characters: Père Goriot , Eugène de Rastignac , Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauséant, Madame Anastasie de Restaud
Page Number: 56
Explanation and Analysis:

‘Their father [] is said to have given each of them five or six hundred thousand francs to ensure their happiness by marrying them well, and only kept back eight or ten thousand livres a year for himself. He thought that his daughters would remain his daughters and that in their homes he had created two places where he would be able to live, two houses where he would be adored and spoilt. Within two years his sons-in-law had banished him from their society as if he were the most wretched of wretches

Related Characters: Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauséant (speaker), Père Goriot , Eugène de Rastignac , Madame Anastasie de Restaud , Madame Delphine de Nucingen
Page Number: 68
Explanation and Analysis:

‘The more coldly calculating you are, the further you will go. Strike without pity and people will fear you. Accept men and women as mere post horses to be left worn out at every stage and you will reach the summit of your ambitions. Don't forget that you will be nothing here unless you have a woman to take an interest in you. You need one who is young, rich, elegant. But if you have any genuine feelings, hide them like a treasure; never let anyone suspect them, or you will be lost.’

Related Characters: Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauséant (speaker), Eugène de Rastignac
Page Number: 72
Explanation and Analysis:

‘All right, let Père Goriot win you admission to Madame Delphine de Nucingen's house. The beautiful Madame de Nucingen will be the standard you bear. Enjoy the marks of her favour and women will dote on you. [] You will be very successful. In Paris success is everything, it is the key to power. If women believe you to have wit and talent, so will men, unless you disillusion them. Then you can set your heart on anything, every door will be open to you. Then you will learn what the world is really like: an assembly of dupes and knaves. Don't be counted with either.’

Related Characters: Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauséant (speaker), Père Goriot , Eugène de Rastignac , Madame Anastasie de Restaud , Madame Delphine de Nucingen
Related Symbols: Doors
Page Number: 73
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 2 Quotes

The student walked back from the Théâtre-Italien to the rue Neuve-Sainte-Geneviève, his head full of the most alluring plans. He had not failed to notice how closely Madame de Restaud had observed him, both in the vicomtesse's box and in that of Madame de Nucingen, and he presumed that he would no longer find the comtesse's door closed to him. He could already count on four major contacts in the most select Parisian society […]

'If Madame de Nucingen takes an interest in me, I will teach her how to manipulate her husband. Her husband is a very successful businessman, and he'll be able to help me make my fortune in less than no time.'

Related Characters: Eugène de Rastignac (speaker), Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauséant, Madame Anastasie de Restaud , Madame Delphine de Nucingen , Baron de Nucingen
Related Symbols: Doors
Page Number: 117
Explanation and Analysis:

Rastignac was indeed in a state of perplexity which must be familiar to many young men. Whether she really loved him or was just leading him on, Madame de Nucingen had inflicted on Rastignac all the pains of a genuine passion [] For the past few months she had so inflamed Eugène's senses that she finally affected his inward heart. If in the initial stages of his liaison the student had believed himself to be the master, Madame de Nucingen had now gained the upper hand[.]

Related Characters: Eugène de Rastignac , Vautrin, Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauséant, Madame Delphine de Nucingen
Page Number: 143
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 4 Quotes

Rastignac left at about five o'clock, after seeing Madame de Beauséant into her travelling-coach and receiving her tearful farewell […] It was cold and damp as Eugène walked back to the Maison Vauquer. His education was almost complete.

‘I shan't be able to save poor Père Goriot,’ Bianchon said to him as Rastignac came into his neighbour's room.

‘My friend,’ said Eugène, after a look at the sleeping old man, ‘stay on the path that leads to the modest goal you have been content to set yourself. As for me, I am in hell, and must stay there.’

Related Characters: Eugène de Rastignac (speaker), Bianchon (speaker), Père Goriot , Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauséant
Page Number: 238
Explanation and Analysis:
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Père Goriot PDF

Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauséant Quotes in Père Goriot

The Père Goriot quotes below are all either spoken by Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauséant or refer to Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauséant. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
The False Allure of Wealth Theme Icon
).
Chapter 1 Quotes

By pronouncing the name of Père Goriot Eugène had again waved the magic wand, but this time with an effect quite contrary to that produced by the words ‘related to Madame de Beauséant.’ He was in the situation of someone admitted as a favour into the house of a curio collector who inadvertently knocks into a cabinet full of sculptured figures, breaking off three or four insecurely fastened heads. He wished the earth would swallow him up.

Related Characters: Père Goriot , Eugène de Rastignac , Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauséant, Madame Anastasie de Restaud
Page Number: 56
Explanation and Analysis:

‘Their father [] is said to have given each of them five or six hundred thousand francs to ensure their happiness by marrying them well, and only kept back eight or ten thousand livres a year for himself. He thought that his daughters would remain his daughters and that in their homes he had created two places where he would be able to live, two houses where he would be adored and spoilt. Within two years his sons-in-law had banished him from their society as if he were the most wretched of wretches

Related Characters: Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauséant (speaker), Père Goriot , Eugène de Rastignac , Madame Anastasie de Restaud , Madame Delphine de Nucingen
Page Number: 68
Explanation and Analysis:

‘The more coldly calculating you are, the further you will go. Strike without pity and people will fear you. Accept men and women as mere post horses to be left worn out at every stage and you will reach the summit of your ambitions. Don't forget that you will be nothing here unless you have a woman to take an interest in you. You need one who is young, rich, elegant. But if you have any genuine feelings, hide them like a treasure; never let anyone suspect them, or you will be lost.’

Related Characters: Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauséant (speaker), Eugène de Rastignac
Page Number: 72
Explanation and Analysis:

‘All right, let Père Goriot win you admission to Madame Delphine de Nucingen's house. The beautiful Madame de Nucingen will be the standard you bear. Enjoy the marks of her favour and women will dote on you. [] You will be very successful. In Paris success is everything, it is the key to power. If women believe you to have wit and talent, so will men, unless you disillusion them. Then you can set your heart on anything, every door will be open to you. Then you will learn what the world is really like: an assembly of dupes and knaves. Don't be counted with either.’

Related Characters: Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauséant (speaker), Père Goriot , Eugène de Rastignac , Madame Anastasie de Restaud , Madame Delphine de Nucingen
Related Symbols: Doors
Page Number: 73
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 2 Quotes

The student walked back from the Théâtre-Italien to the rue Neuve-Sainte-Geneviève, his head full of the most alluring plans. He had not failed to notice how closely Madame de Restaud had observed him, both in the vicomtesse's box and in that of Madame de Nucingen, and he presumed that he would no longer find the comtesse's door closed to him. He could already count on four major contacts in the most select Parisian society […]

'If Madame de Nucingen takes an interest in me, I will teach her how to manipulate her husband. Her husband is a very successful businessman, and he'll be able to help me make my fortune in less than no time.'

Related Characters: Eugène de Rastignac (speaker), Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauséant, Madame Anastasie de Restaud , Madame Delphine de Nucingen , Baron de Nucingen
Related Symbols: Doors
Page Number: 117
Explanation and Analysis:

Rastignac was indeed in a state of perplexity which must be familiar to many young men. Whether she really loved him or was just leading him on, Madame de Nucingen had inflicted on Rastignac all the pains of a genuine passion [] For the past few months she had so inflamed Eugène's senses that she finally affected his inward heart. If in the initial stages of his liaison the student had believed himself to be the master, Madame de Nucingen had now gained the upper hand[.]

Related Characters: Eugène de Rastignac , Vautrin, Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauséant, Madame Delphine de Nucingen
Page Number: 143
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 4 Quotes

Rastignac left at about five o'clock, after seeing Madame de Beauséant into her travelling-coach and receiving her tearful farewell […] It was cold and damp as Eugène walked back to the Maison Vauquer. His education was almost complete.

‘I shan't be able to save poor Père Goriot,’ Bianchon said to him as Rastignac came into his neighbour's room.

‘My friend,’ said Eugène, after a look at the sleeping old man, ‘stay on the path that leads to the modest goal you have been content to set yourself. As for me, I am in hell, and must stay there.’

Related Characters: Eugène de Rastignac (speaker), Bianchon (speaker), Père Goriot , Madame la Vicomtesse de Beauséant
Page Number: 238
Explanation and Analysis: