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The Jealousies of a Country Town · Character

Du Bousquier

A former revolutionary turned rich banker, du Bousquier pursues Mlle. Cormon's hand as coldly as he once pursued other men's property.

major

Also known as du Bousquier, a du Bousquier, Bousquier, M. du Bousquier, the unsuspecting du Bousquier, Citizen du Bousquier

First appearance: The Old Maid

As a major figure in The Jealousies of a Country Town, Du Bousquier is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

A bourgeois rival to the Chevalier, symbolizing the rising middle class and its ambitions.
In the storyThe Old MaidOpen this moment free

Du Bousquier is the town's new power: a man of the Revolution who made his fortune in army contracts and now wants respectability to match his money. Rebuffed by the aristocracy he once helped to ruin, he nurses a grudge against Chesnel and the d'Esgrignons that will outlast a generation. His courtship of Mlle. Cormon is not romance but conquest — and his rivalry with the Chevalier is the town's whole social order in miniature.

See Du Bousquier in The Old MaidBook page

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Character Web

27 connections

A slice of how Du Bousquier sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

MCMlle. CormonCDChevalier de V…MGMme. GransonSUSuzanneADAbbé de SpondeDBDu Bousquier

Relationship types

  • Romantic
  • Rivalry
  • Psychological
  • Other

Character groups

  • Mlle. Cormon's household and suitors
  • Protagonist
  • d'Esgrignon circle and rivals

+22 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

SetupClimax
  • Setup
  • Breaking point

The emotional and psychological peak occurs when the reader, expecting narrative resolution, is instead confro…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

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Relationships

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Du Bousquier in The Old Maid

In the story

Du Bousquier appears across 2 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Du Bousquier unlock in the free preview.

See Du Bousquier in The Old Maid
See Du Bousquier in The Old Maid
Who is Du Bousquier in The Jealousies of a Country Town?