A Country Doctor by Honoré de Balzac, summary Automatic translate

Honoré de Balzac’s novel "A Country Doctor" was written between October 1832 and June 1833 and first published in 1833. The work is distinguished by its social-utopian concept of a rational social order, presented by the author through the story of the economic and moral revival of a single French canton. The book is part of the grand cycle "The Human Comedy," occupying first place in the "Scenes of Village Life" subsection of the "Etudes on Morals" section. This subsection also includes the novels "Lily of the Valley," "A Country Priest," and "The Peasants."

The arrival of Genest and the household of Dr. Benasi

On a fine spring day in 1829, fifty-year-old cavalry officer Pierre-Joseph Genesta rides along a steep road near the Grande Chartreuse monastery. He is en route to the populous center of the mountainous canton, located on the border of Savoy and Dauphiné. Genesta, an honorable soldier of the Napoleonic Wars, who earned the Legion of Honor after the Battle of Moscow, is a modest and orderly man.

Stopping at the hut of the widow Martin, who raises orphans for three francs a month, Genesta learns of the locals’ great respect for the local doctor, Benasi, who treats the poor free of charge. The officer finds the doctor in a squalid hut at the bedside of a dying, cretinous old man. The severe disease of cretinism afflicted the inhabitants of the secluded valley due to the stale air, lack of sun, and ancient superstitions. The parish priest and his parishioners are performing the last rites for the deceased.

After the funeral, Bénacy tells Genesta how, ten years ago, having become mayor, he overcame the fierce resistance of the residents, transported the idiots to Savoy, persuaded the Bishop of Grenoble to replace the ignorant priest, and built a new village on a sunny slope. When the doctor first tried to transport the sick, the superstitious peasants nearly stoned him, but Bénacy stood firm.

Genesta asks the doctor to examine the aftereffects of her old war wounds and agrees to live in his house for ten francs a day. The doctor accepts this money only to buy medicine for poor patients in Grenoble. The diligent cook, Jacot, maintains order in the Bénacy household, managing everything.

Benasi shows his guest the results of his work. He created a consistent system for the region’s development: from a basket-weaving workshop, the construction of a road to Grenoble, and the hiring of a blacksmith to the opening of tanneries, tile factories, and hat factories, the construction of a school, and the establishment of fairs. As a result, the canton’s population grew from seven hundred to two thousand.

Touring the surrounding area and meeting with veterans

The next morning, Bénâsi and Génesta ride out to explore the canton. At one of the mountain farms, they attend a traditional mourning ceremony for the deceased owner. The widow offers solemn lamentations, cuts a lock of her hair, and places it in the deceased’s hand as a sign of eternal fidelity.

The doctor introduces the officer to two veterans of the Napoleonic Wars. The pontoonist Gondrin, one of the forty-two brave men who built a bridge across the Berezina in 1812, digs ditches and lives in poverty without the promised pension. A shocked Genesta promises to seek justice for him. The veteran Gogla works as a village postman.

The riders visit the Vigneau tile factory, which has rebuilt its operations from abject poverty, and then visit the home of a girl nicknamed "The Gravedigger." The orphan was so named because of her father’s trade. The girl is known for her sensitive, fragile nature. Benasi cares for her with paternal tenderness, providing her with housing and a modest income.

During their walk, Zhenesta tells the doctor an incident from the era of the retreat from Russia: in an overcrowded barn in Studyanka, he shot a Württemberg soldier who was pulling out a supporting beam for a fire and threatening to collapse the roof on the sleeping generals.

Public debate and the Napoleon legend

That evening, local dignitaries gather for dinner at Bénacy’s: Magistrate Dufault, Notary Tonelle, Assistant Mayor Cambon, and the priest Janvier. The guests discuss laws, religion, and public administration. The doctor argues for the need for a strong centralized government, limited suffrage, and the strengthening of Christian morality to preserve society.

After dinner, Bénâsi and Genesta sneak unnoticed into the hayloft of the barn, where a village gathering is taking place. First, an old peasant tells the tale of the hunchback and the murdered traveler, and then the veteran Gogla recounts a poetic legend about the life of Napoleon. In his story, the emperor appears as the son of God, accompanied by the Red Man and performing miracles from Egypt to Waterloo. A moved Genesta runs out to the peasants and proposes a toast to the memory of the emperor.

The Personal Tragedy of Dr. Benasi

Late at night by the fireplace, Bénâci reveals to Genest the reason for his retreat from the worldly vanity. In his youth, living a carefree life in Paris, he abandoned his devoted girlfriend, Agathe. Years later, he learned of her fatal illness and that she was raising their son alone. Agathe died in his arms, forgiving him, and Bénâci devoted himself to raising the boy.

Later, Benasi met Evelina, who came from a religious Jansenist family, and fell passionately in love with her. However, the girl’s parents, having learned of Benasi’s illegitimate child and past, categorically forbade the marriage, despite their daughter’s pleas. Soon after, his only son fell ill and died.

Overcome with despair, Bénacy considered suicide, but after visiting the Grande Chartreuse monastery, he chose the path of Christian self-denial. He decided to dedicate the rest of his life to helping the poor of the remote canton, adopting the Carthusian motto "Fuge, late, tace" ("Flee, hide, be silent").

Revealing secrets and the finale

After hearing the confession, Genesta admits that his real name is Major Genesta, and Bluteau is an assumed name. He came to verify rumors about the doctor, entrusting him with the care of his adopted son, Adrien, the son of his fallen comrade Renard and a Jewish woman, Judith. The young man is in poor health and needs the mountain air.

The next day, Genesta brings Adrien. They have breakfast with the Gravedigger, who tells her sad story of being orphaned and her poisoned puppy. Genesta shares a memory of his last meeting with Napoleon in Rochefort in 1815, when the Emperor gave him a snuffbox inscribed "Honor and Fatherland." The officer leaves his son in the care of Bénacy and the local hunter, Butifet.

Eight months later, in December, Genesta was promoted to lieutenant colonel. From Adrien’s letter, he learned of Bénacy’s sudden death. The doctor had died of a stroke after receiving a letter from Paris, handwritten by Evelyn, and had only managed to ask that the message be burned. The entire canton was plunged into deep grief, and thousands of residents gathered for the funeral.

Zhenesta arrives in the village and visits the new cemetery. A fir cross has been erected on the earthen pyramid above Benasi’s grave with the inscription: "Lord, receive his soul! Under this cross lies the good Mr. Benasi, father to us all. Pray for him!" Standing at his friend’s grave, Zhenesta decides to settle in this valley after his retirement.