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An Old Maid

"An Old Maid" by Honoré de Balzac is a novel written in 1836. Set in the provincial town of Alençon, this short and incisive work centers on Mademoiselle Cormon, an aging unmarried woman whose portrait stands as one of Balzac's most successful characterizations. The story unfolds with rapid succession of events, offering a nuanced analysis of the social, political, and financial affairs that define provincial life in post-Revolutionary France. The novel exemplifies Balzac's keen eye for human nature and small-town dynamics.

Level C1 pagesEnglish

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Categories: French Literature Novels Romance

Readers: Adults Teens

Suggested age: 16+ (AI estimate)

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Level C1

Language difficulty is an AI estimate based on sampled text.

Reader and content guidance is an AI estimate based on the title, author, source summary, contents and selected excerpts. Unseen portions have not been assessed.

Recommended age: 16+ (AI estimate)
No explicit content in samples, but enjoyment requires maturity for marriage, reputation, money and provincial politics; 16+ for independent reading, younger only with substantial support. Based on named-book metadata and selected excerpts; unseen text was not assessed. This is guidance, not an official age rating; individual reading ability varies.

Source: Project Gutenberg · Public domain in the USA.

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