Ferragus: Chief of the Devorants

Title page of Ferragus (1833).

Ferragus^[1] (Full title: Ferragus, chef des Dévorants; English: Ferragus, Chief of the Devorants) is an 1833 novel by French author Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850) 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.

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. He finds her in the company of a man named Ferragus. In the days that follow, Auguste uncovers the secrets of powerful and mysterious people and escapes several assassination attempts. Subsequently, Auguste is killed, but before he dies, he reveals Clemence's secret to her husband, Jules Desmarets, a very rich stockbroker. Ferragus is none other than Clemence's father.

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.

Ferragus is, according to ancient custom, a name taken by the chief or Grand Master of the Devorants. On the day of their election these chiefs continue whichever of the dynasties of their Order they are most in sympathy with, precisely as the Popes do, on their accession, in connection with pontifical dynasties. Thus the Devorants have "Trempe-la Soupe IX.," "Ferragus XXII.," "Tutanus XIII.," "Masche-Fer IV.," just as the Church has Clement XIV., Gregory VII., Julius II., Alexander VI., etc. Now, then, who are the Devorants? "Devorant" is the name of one of those tribes of "Companions" that issued in ancient times from the great mystical association formed among the workers of Christianity to rebuild the temple at Jerusalem.
— Honoré de Balzac, Ferragus, Chief of the Devorants, ^[2]

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

- Ferragus, a film version (1910) of Balzac's novel by André Calmettes
- Ferragus, a film version (1920) of Balzac's novel by Giovanni Enrico Vidali
- Ferragus, a film version (1923) of Balzac's novel by Gaston Ravel
- Die Dreizehn (The Thirteen), a film version (1918) of Balzac's novel by Alfred Halm

Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Ferragus

References

↑ Note occasionally one may see the name misspelled in old English editions as "Farragus"
↑ de Balzac, Honoré (2010). "Ferragus: Chief of the Devorants". Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 2012-05-19.

La Comédie humaine by Honoré de Balzac

List of characters

Scènes de la vie privée	La Maison du chat-qui-pelote Le Bal de Sceaux La Bourse La Vendetta Madame Firmiani Une double famille La Paix du ménage La Fausse Maîtresse Étude de femme Autre étude de femme La Grande Bretêche Albert Savarus Mémoires de deux jeunes mariées Une fille d'Eve La Femme de trente ans La Femme abandonnée La Grenadière Le Message Gobseck Le Contrat de mariage Un début dans la vie Modeste Mignon Béatrix Honorine Le Colonel Chabert La Messe de l'athée L'Interdiction Pierre Grassou

Scènes de la vie de province	Ursule Mirouët Eugénie Grandet Pierrette Le Curé de Tours La Rabouilleuse Un ménage de garçon L'illustre Gaudissart La Muse du département La Vieille Fille Le Cabinet des Antiques Le Lys dans la vallée Illusions perdues

Scènes de la vie Parisienne	Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes Un prince de la bohème Un homme d’affaires Gaudissart II Les Comédiens sans le savoir Ferragus La Duchesse de Langeais La Fille aux yeux d'or Le Père Goriot César Birotteau La Maison Nucingen Les Secrets de la princesse de Cadignan Les Employés Sarrasine Facino Cane La Cousine Bette Le Cousin Pons Les Petits Bourgeois

Scènes de la vie politique	Une ténébreuse affaire Un épisode sous la Terreur Madame de la Chanterie L'Initié Z. Marcas Le Député d'Arcis

Scènes de la vie militaire	Les Chouans Une passion dans le désert

Scènes de la vie de campagne	Le Médecin de campagne Le Curé de village Les Paysans

Études philosophiques	La Peau de chagrin La Recherche de l'absolu Jésus-Christ en Flandre Melmoth réconcilié Le Chef-d'œuvre inconnu L'Enfant maudit Gambara Massimilla Doni Les Marana Adieu Le Réquisitionnaire El Verdugo Un drame au bord de la mer L'Auberge rouge L'Elixir de longue vie Maître Cornélius Sur Catherine de Médicis Louis Lambert Les Proscrits Séraphîta

Études analytiques	La Physiologie du mariage Petites misères de la vie conjugale

Related works by others	Fernand Lotte: Armorial de la Comédie Humaine

Authority control	BNF: cb124571991 (data)

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