Hello out there,
I’ve been trying to read more classics this year and I’m currently reading Old Goriot. I’m nearly to the end, I’ve been using cliffs notes to help me through and make sure I’m understanding everything, it hasn’t been an easy read.
I’m still very stuck on Rastignac’s relationship with Delphine. My understanding is that Delphine is married, but then it seems like she and Rastignac are interacting as though she isn’t, and with her father’s knowledge and blessing. I feel like I’m fundamentally misunderstanding some sort of cultural context here, but I haven’t been able to find much via Google searching. I even listened to some YouTube talks about the book and they were unclear on this point.
Did something happen to her husband? Did everyone just have open relationships back then? Some third option?
If anyone can help me make sense of this I would appreciate it!
by Aquaphoric