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A Marriage Settlement
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Plot Summary of A Marriage Settlement
"A MARRIAGE SETTLEMENT (Le Contrat de Mariage), also known as "The Marriage Contract" was first published in 1835.

The Count of Manerville, tired of being a bachelor, decides to leave Paris and to come back to Bordeaux, home of his ancestors. There, it seems that he can't but fall in love with Miss Evangelista, the queen of the local social life. Soon, their future marriage is the talk of the town. Now there's only one point to settle : the marriage contract. The young people prefer this matter to be discussed between their respective notaries.

The Count of Manerville is represented by the old notary Mathias who quickly understands that Mrs. Evangelista, the future mother-in-law, has already wasted her daughter's fortune and that she hopes to put the hand on the generous Count's goods.

Having to deal with his client's innocent love with Miss Evangelista, Mathias negociates a contract that would force the Evangelistas to reduce their way of life. The furious and heinous mother-in-law swears that she will see the ruin of the Count of Manerville before long.

A few years later, the Count of Manerville, ruined indeed, leaves France with the hope to find a new wealthiness in India. He's still convinced that he has a loving wife and an attentive mother-in-law while both of them have been scheming against him."

Daniel Staebler, Resident Scholar

Review Analysis of A Marriage Settlement
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book? - depressed
Time/era of story - 19th century
Romance/Romance Problems Yes
Kind of romance: - marriage/relationship going to pieces
Family, struggle with Yes
Struggle with: - In-laws
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Gender - Male
Profession/status: - wealthy
Age: - 20's-30's
Ethnicity/Nationality - French
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Female
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - wealthy
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - an average amount
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
Europe Yes
European country: - France

Style
Person - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - no torture/death
Amount of dialog - little dialog
Most similar books to A Marriage Settlement
Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy
Desire Under the Elms by Eugene O'Neill
Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
An Unequal Marriage: or Pride and Prejudice Twenty Years Later by Emma Tennant
Mr. Darcy Takes a Wife by Linda Berdoll


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Honoré de Balzac Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Jack Goodstein  

SCHOLARS:
Augusto Wong Campos  


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