Colonel Chabert

Colonel Chabert Synopsis

French author Honoré de Balzac wrote a novella titled Le Colonel Chabert in 1832. It is a part of his La Comédie Humaine novella series (The Human Comedy). In the story, French society during the Restoration and July Monarchy is shown and parodied.A prostitute named Rose Chapotel is married to Colonel Chabert.

Napoleon Bonaparte then holds Colonel Chabert in high regard as a French cavalry officer. Chabert was gravely wounded during the Battle of Eylau (1807), and his death and burial are listed with the other French casualties. He does, however, manage to escape his tomb and is then given medical attention by the villagers in the area.

He requires several years to fully recover. When he gets back to Paris, he learns that his widow has wed the ascetic Count Ferraud and sold all of Chabert's belongings. He engages Derville, a lawyer, to help him get his money back and his honor after they were wrongfully handed away as an inheritance.Derville, who also represents Countess Ferraud, cautions Chabert against accepting the Countess's offer of a settlement bribe.

Chabert ultimately leaves empty-handed and spends the rest of his days in a mental institution.