Eugénie Grandet

Eugénie Grandet is Honoré de Balzac’s novel about a young woman whose family life is governed by her father’s obsession with wealth. The arrival of her cousin Charles awakens hopes that the household’s routines and financial calculations cannot accommodate. Provincial interiors, possessions, and habits make Grandet’s authority visible in everyday life. Eugénie’s capacity for generosity stands apart from the uses others make of money, yet it does not protect her from disappointment. The novel gives economic power an intimate form, showing how it enters affection, obedience, and expectations of the future.