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Eugénie Grandet · Chapter
Dedication explained
The author dedicates the book to Maria, likening her portrait to a sacred talisman that protects the home from evil.
What happens
The author dedicates the book to Maria, likening her portrait to a sacred talisman that protects the home from evil.
Key passages
“To Maria Your portrait is the fairest ornament of this book, and here it is fitting that your name should be set, like the branch of box taken from some unknown garden to lie for a while in the holy water, and afterwards set by pious hands above the threshold, where the green spray, ever renewed, is a sacred talisman to ward off all evil from the house.”
The author dedicates the book to Maria, saying her portrait is its finest decoration, and her name is placed like a blessed boxwood branch that protects the home from harm.
The dedication uses religious imagery to convey reverence and protection.