"Gobsek": a summary of the immortal story of Balzac

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The story "Gobsek" appeared in 1830. Later it became part of the world-famous collected works "The Human Comedy", authored by Balzac. "Gobsek", a summary of this work will be described below, focuses readers' attention on such a property of human psychology as stinginess.

Honoré de Balzac "Gobsek": summary

It all starts with the fact that two guests sat in the house of the Viscountess de Granlier: the attorney Derville and the Comte de Resto. When the latter leaves, the viscountess tells her daughter Camille that she must not show favor to the count, because not a single family of Paris will agree to intermarry with him. The viscountess adds that the count's mother is of low birth and left the children penniless, squandering her fortune on her lover.

Listening to the viscountess, Derville decides to explain the true state of affairs to her by telling the story of a moneylender named Gobsek. The summary of this story is the basis of Balzac's story. The Solicitor mentions that he met Gobsek in his student years, when he lived in a cheap boarding house. Derville calls Gobsek a cold-blooded "man-promissory note" and"golden idol".

Once a moneylender told Derville how he collected a debt from a countess: fearing exposure, she handed him a diamond, and her lover received the money. “This dandy can ruin the whole family,” Gobsek argued. A summary of the story will prove the veracity of his words.

Soon, Count Maxime de Tray asks Derville to set him up with the named usurer. At first, Gobsek refuses to give a loan to the count, who instead of money has only debts. But the previously mentioned countess comes to the usurer, who pledges magnificent diamonds. She agrees to Gobsek's terms without hesitation. When the lovers leave, the countess's husband bursts into the usurer and demands the return of the family jewels that his wife left as a pawn. But as a result, the count decides to transfer the property to Gobsek in order to protect his fortune from his wife's greedy lover. Derville further points out that the described story took place in the de Resto family.

After a deal with a pawnbroker, Comte de Resto falls ill. The countess, in turn, breaks off all relations with Maxime de Tray and zealously looks after her husband, but he soon dies. The day after the count's death, Derville and Gobsek enter the house. The summary cannot describe all the horror that appeared before them in the count's office. In search of a will, his wife Count is a real rout, not ashamed and dead. And most importantly, she burned the papers addressed to Derville, as a result of which the property of the de Resto family passed into the possession of Gobsek. Despite Derville's pleas to take pity on the unfortunatefamily, the pawnbroker remains adamant.

Having learned about the love of Camille and Ernest, Derville decides to go to the house of a moneylender named Gobsek. The summary of the final part is striking in its psychologism. Gobsek was near death, but in his old age his avarice turned into mania. At the end of the story, Derville informs Vicomtesse de Grandlier that the Comte de Restaud will soon return the lost fortune. After thinking, the noble lady decides that if de Resto becomes very rich, then her daughter may well marry him.