Ferragus: Chief of the Devorants


Ferragus is an 1833 novel by French author Honoré de Balzac and included in the Scènes de la vie parisienne section of his novel sequence La Comédie humaine. It is part of his trilogy Histoire des treize: Ferragus is the first part, the second is La Duchesse de Langeais and the third is The Girl with the Golden Eyes. Ferragus first appeared in the Revue de Paris and was then published by the firm Charles-Béchet.

Plot

The novel is set around the year 1820. Auguste de Maulincour, a young cavalry officer, walking in a Parisian district of ill repute, sees from afar a young married woman, Clemence, with whom he is secretly in love. He sees her enter a house of ill repute. The young married woman is widely recognized in Parisian society as a paragon of marital virtue—what is her secret? Auguste decides to spy on the woman to find out.
Later, by coincidence, Auguste meets a man named Ferragus who lives in the very same house that Clemence has been secretly visiting. He speaks to Ferragus of Clemence's double life. In the days that follow, Auguste uncovers the secrets of powerful and mysterious people and escapes three assassination attempts. Auguste next reveals Clemence's secret to her husband, Jules Desmarets, a very rich stockbroker. Jules becomes suspicious and spies on Ferragus, who he discovers is none other than Clemence's father.
Ultimately, Clemence, whose love was pure, dies of a broken heart, Auguste is poisoned by Ferragus, Jules loses all interest in life and Ferragus is reduced to a sad, ruined old man watching games of Boule on the outskirts of Paris.
It is revealed that Ferragus used to be a rich, handsome boy, a member of the Order of Devorants, who was imprisoned in 1806. He had escaped imprisonment and lived in Paris under various names and disguises. In 1815, Ferragus became involved in several sordid businesses.
The novel has a tragic theme, with the death of both Auguste and Clemence, as well as the despair of Jules and the physical decrepitude of Ferragus.

Film versions