Madame Marbouty was also a friend of Madame Carraud's sister, Madame
Nivet, so that when Balzac visited Limoges he probably called on his
former traveling companion.
When the second volume of the /Comedie humaine/ was published (1842),
Balzac remembered this episode in his life and dedicated /La
Grenadiere/ to his traveling companion:
"To Caroline, to the poetry of the journey, from the grateful
traveler."
In explaining this dedication to Madame Hanska, Balzac states that the
/poesie du voyage/ was merely the poetry of it and nothing more, and
that when she comes to Paris he will take pleasure in showing to her
this intimate friend of Madame Carraud, this charming, intellectual
woman whom he has not seen since.
Balzac went to Madame Marbouty's home to read to her the first acts of
/L'Ecole des Menages/, which she liked; a few days later, he returned,
depressed because a great lady had told him it was /ennuyeux/, so she
tried to cheer him. /Souvenirs inedits/, dated February, 1839, left by
her, and a letter from her to Balzac dated March 12, 1840, in which
she asks him to give her a ticket to the first performance of his
play,[*] show that they were on excellent terms at this time. But
later a coolness arose, and in April, 1842, Madame Marbouty wrote /Une
fausse Position/. The personages in this novel are portraits, and
Balzac appears under the name of Ulric. This explains why the
dedication of /La Grenadiere/ was changed. Some writers seem to think
that Madame Marbouty suggested to Balzac /La Muse du Departement/, a
Berrichon bluestocking.
[*] The play referred to is doubtless /Vautrin/, played for the first
time March 14, 1840.
Among the women in the /Comedie humaine/ who have been identified with
women the novelist knew in the course of his life, Beatrix (Beatrix),
depicting the life of the Comtesse d'Agoult, is one of the most noted.
Balzac says of this famous character: "Yes, Beatrix is even too much
Madame d'Agoult. George Sand is at the height of felicity; she takes a
little vengeance on her friend. Except for a few variations, /the
story is true/."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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