Cousin Bette by Honoré De Balzac is a novel about obsession, but what makes the premise so fantastic is the way each obsession is connected to the other. The characters are obsessed with art, but the bourgeois universe of post-Napoleonic Paris is not original. The middle class no longer spends their money on nice things. The middle class hoards money, and what is spent is spent on shabby recreations of great works of art that these individuals believe will give them the appearance of status. In the French bourgeoisie everything has become a copy of something that was already a copy. There is no originality in everyday life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayWhen copying is practiced regularly, there is no appreciation for the work and sweat that a true artist puts into a single painting or sculpture. That's where the real "art" lies: in the work embedded in an original work, not simply in the aesthetic aspect of a work of art. When the prince wants the mold of St. Wenceslas' clock destroyed, it is because he appreciates what is unique. Appreciate the way the artist held the watch while making it and turned it over in his hands as if it were worth something. Above all, appreciate its originality. Bourgeois society is "tacky" because it only copies aristocratic society, and with much less class and beauty. Balzac, it seems, has an extraordinary reverence for art. The obsession with great works of art is the lesser evil of all his fetishes. Cousin Bette also reveals a surprising obsession with women and female beauty. Valerie, in particular, possesses a degree of beauty that can drive any man to obsession. Balzac repeatedly compares her to great works of art: her skin is like porcelain, or marble; his eyes are like emeralds. She is naturally gorgeous, but what makes her truly goddess-like is her ability to cultivate her own beauty. The detail with which Valerie articulates the facets of her appearance is astonishing: from the use of the "beauty spot" to the skill she demonstrates in the execution of a tea service, she is charming and elegant in every respect. Valerie is, in essence, a living work of art: she is the most desirable commodity in all of the novel, more beautiful even than the "omnipotent Frank." Perhaps the most obvious obsession cultivated in the novel is the obsession with money. Every major character has a great need for it, or has an identity derived from possessing or obtaining it. Large sums are accumulated in gifts or debts, and Balzac calculates the sums for us so that we can experience the impact of this insurmountable count for ourselves. The point, it seems, is that all exchanges that have to do with money are great in every way. The sums themselves are quite extravagant and the emotions present on both sides of the transaction are equally great. For most of Balzac's characters, every exchange of money is a matter of life or death, honor or dishonor, love or chastity. The exchange of money is one of the most intense interactions between the characters in Cousin Bette. Furthermore, almost every time a monetary transaction occurs, money is spent in exchange for art, love, or both. Wenseslas has to sell his art; others must possess it. Valerie must sell her love; others must acquire it. The men in the novel spend their worth to wallow in their superficial desire to be young, handsome, important, and above all lovable. The men - and Baron Hulot in particular - attempt to make more money by spending large sums of money they don't have. Baron Hulot feels offended and helpless because he has been surpassed by the Duke of Hérouville in the.