Summary of “Marianne’s Life”
Marianna, having withdrawn from the world, takes the pen on the advice of her friend. True, she is afraid that her mind is unsuitable for writing, and the syllable is not good enough, but believe me, she just flirts.
The tragic event, which happened when Marianne was not more than two years, leaves an imprint on her entire life. The robbery is attacked by a robbery and all its passengers are killed, except for a small child, Marianna. Judging by the clothes, the girl is the daughter of a young noble couple, but no more accurate information can not be found. Thus, the origin of Marianne becomes a mystery. The child is given into the house of a village priest, and his sister, a well-educated, sensible and truly virtuous woman, brings up Marianna as her own daughter. Marianne is attached with all her soul to her patrons and considers the priest’s sister to be the best person in the world. The girl grows graceful, sweet, obedient child and promises to become a beauty. When Marianne
So, a fifteen-year-old girl, very pretty, remains alone in Paris and all over the world, without a house and without money. Marianna in despair begs the monk, who was acquainted with the deceased, to become its leader, and he decides to appeal to a respectable man, known for his piety and good deeds. Mr. Klimal, a well-preserved man of about fifty or sixty, very rich, after learning the story of Marianne, is ready to help: give the girl in training to the seamstress and pay for the maintenance. Marianne is grateful, but her heart is torn to pieces with shame, she feels unbearable humiliation, being the object of “charity that does not observe spiritual delicacy.”
One day, returning from the church, Marianna tilts her leg and finds herself in the house of a noble young man, the same one with whom they exchanged glances in the church, with so many speaking hearts. She can not confess to Valvel neither in her miserable situation, nor in her acquaintance with M. de Climal, who turns out to be the native uncle of Valville, and pretends not to know Marianna, although she sees her nephew at the feet of her warders with jealousy. When Marianne returns home, de Klimal comes to her. He directly speaks of his love, warns Marianne against the hobby of “young helicopters” and offers her “a small contract for five hundred livres of rent.” During this explanation, Valville suddenly appears in the room, and now the nephew sees his uncle kneeling before the same Marianna. What can he think of her? Only one. When the young man leaves, giving the innocent girl a scornful look, she asks de Klimal to go along with her to her nephew and explain everything to him, and he, after discarding the mask of decency, reproaches her for ingratitude, says that from now on he stops giving, and disappears, fearing a scandal. And Marianne, who has been deprived of prudence by offended pride and love for Valvil, thinks only of how to make Valvil regret separation and repent of bad thoughts. Only the morning she realizes the depth of her miserable situation. Oka tells all about her sorrows to the abbess of the monastery, and during this conversation there is a lady who penetrates into the girl with warm sympathy. She suggests the abbess to take Marianna to a monastery pension and is going to pay for her maintenance. Marianne, in an enthusiastic burst, watered the benefactress’s hand with “the most gentle and sweet tears.”
So Marianna finds a new patron and finds in her a second mother. True kindness, naturalness, generosity, lack of vanity, clarity of thought – this is what characterizes a fifty-year-old lady. She admires Marianna and treats her like her own daughter. But soon Marianne, adoring her benefactress, learns that no one other than the mother of Valleville, who learned of Marianne’s innocence, became even more passionate in love, and had already given her a letter to the monastery, disguised as a lackey. When Madame de Miran complains that the son began to neglect the rich and noble bride, carried away by some chance young girl who met by chance, Marianna recognizes herself in the description of the adventuress and without hesitation admits all to Madame de Miran, including her love for her son. Madame de Miran asks for help from Marianne, she knows, that Marianne is worthy of love, like no one else, that she has everything – “and beauty, and virtue, and the mind, and a beautiful heart,” but society will never forgive a young man of a noble kind of marriage to a girl of unknown origin who does not have a title, nor the state. Marianne, for the love of Madame de Miran, decides to abandon the love of Valville and begs him to forget about her. But Mrs. de Miran (who hears this conversation), shocked by the nobility of her pupil, gives consent to the marriage of the son with Marianna. She is ready to face the attacks of relatives with courage and protect the happiness of children from all over the world. having no title, no state. Marianne, for the love of Madame de Miran, decides to abandon the love of Valville and begs him to forget about her. But Mrs. de Miran (who hears this conversation), shocked by the nobility of her pupil, gives consent to the marriage of the son with Marianna. She is ready to face the attacks of relatives with courage and protect the happiness of children from all over the world. having no title, no state. Marianne, for the love of Madame de Miran, decides to abandon the love of Valville and begs him to forget about her. But Mrs. de Miran (who hears this conversation), shocked by the nobility of her pupil, gives consent to the marriage of the son with Marianna. She is ready to face the attacks of relatives with courage and protect the happiness of children from all over the world.
The brother of Madame de Miran, de Klimal, dies. Before his death, he, full of remorse, recognizes in the presence of his sister and nephew of his guilt before Marianna and leaves her a small fortune. Marianne still lives in the monastery boarding house, and Ms. de Miran presents her as the daughter of one of her friends, but gradually rumors about the upcoming wedding and the dubious past of the bride are spreading wider and reaching the ears of Mrs. de Mirán’s numerous and arrogant relatives. Marianne is kidnapped and taken to another monastery. The abbess explains that this is an order from above, and Marianne is given a choice: either to have a haircut in a nun, or to marry another person. That evening, Marianne is put in a carriage and taken to a house where she meets a man whom she is supposed to be married to. This is the milk brother of the minister’s wife, an unremarkable young man. Then in the cabinet of the minister there is a real trial over a girl who has not committed anything wrong. Her only crime was beauty and beautiful spiritual qualities that attracted the heart of a young man from a noble family. The minister announces to Marianne that she will not allow her marriage with Valleville, and invites her to marry the “glorious little one” with whom she had just talked in the garden. But Marianne with a firmness of despair declares that her feelings are unchanged, and refuses to get married. At that moment, Madame de Miran and Valville appear. Full of noble sacrifice, Marianne’s speech, her appearance, manners and devotion to the patroness drag the scales to her side. Everyone present, even Mrs. de Miran’s relatives, admires Marianna, and the minister announces that he is not going to interfere any more in this matter,
But the misfortunes of Marianne do not end there. In the monastery comes a new boarder, a girl of noble birth, half English, Mademoiselle Warton. It happens that this sensitive girl faints in the presence of Valleville, and this proves sufficient that the windy youth saw in her a new ideal. He stops visiting the sick Marianne and secretly sees Mademoiselle Varton, who falls in love with him. Learning about the betrayal of her lover, Marianna is desperate, and Madame de Miran hopes that the blindness of her son will someday pass. Marianna understands that her lover is not so guilty, he simply belongs to the type of people for whom “the obstacles have an irresistible appeal,” and the mother’s consent to his marriage with Marianna spoiled everything, and “his love dozed off.” Marianne is already known in the world, many admire her, and almost at the same time she receives two proposals – from a fifty-year-old count, a man of outstanding merit, and from a young marquis. Self-esteem, which Marianne considers the main driver of man’s actions, forces her to behave with Valvil as if she does not suffer at all, and she achieves a brilliant victory: In
Alvil is at her feet again. But Marianna decides not to meet him again, although she still loves him.
On this note, Marianne breaks off. From separate phrases, for example, when she mentions her secular successes or calls herself a countess, one can understand that in her life there were many more adventures about which, alas, we are not destined to learn.
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