Véronique, Virginie, Mélanie, or the Misfortunes of Modesty

After reading Paul et Virginie, Véronique, the protagonist of Le Curé de village, experiences the initial infatuation that will lead her to commit adultery. By what paradoxical means could a novel with a “childlike, innocent, and pure” reputation produce such an immoral effect? What readings of Bernardin de Saint-Pierre’s novel could have authorized this reversal? What path did the memory of Virginie take through Balzac’s work between Le Vicaire des Ardennes and Le Curé de village?