Domestic Peace

La Comédie Humaine #10

by Honoré de Balzac

From the "Scenes of Private Life" section of Honore de Balzac's great masterwork The Human Comedy, this novella is set at a grand ball at the height of the Napoleonic era. The usual suspects from the city's aristocracy are joined by a newcomer -- a mysterious, beautiful young woman whose eyes seem to bespeak an overwhelming sadness. Several of the men in attendance vie for her affections -- and all of their lives are changed in the course of a single evening.

Genres: Classics, Fiction, French Literature, France, Short Stories, Historical Fiction, Classic Literature

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1830

About the author

French writer Honoré de Balzac (born Honoré Balzac), a founder of the realist school of fiction, portrayed the panorama of society in a body of works, known collectively as La comédie humaine .

Honoré de Balzac authored 19th-century novels and plays. After the fall of Napoléon in 1815, his magnum opus, a sequence of almost a hundred novels and plays, entitled, presents life in the years.

Due to keen observation of fine detail and unfiltered representation, European literature regards Balzac. He features renowned multifaceted, even complex, morally ambiguous, full lesser characters. Character well imbues inanimate objects; the city of Paris, a backdrop, takes on many qualities. He influenced many famous authors, including the novelists Marcel Proust, Émile Zola, Charles John Huffam Dickens, Gustave Flaubert, Henry James, and Jack Kerouac as well as important philosophers, such as Friedrich Engels. Many works of Balzac, made into films, continue to inspire.

An enthusiastic reader and independent thinker as a child, Balzac adapted with trouble to the teaching style of his grammar. His willful nature caused trouble throughout his life and frustrated his ambitions to succeed in the world of business. Balzac finished, and people then apprenticed him as a legal clerk, but after wearying of banal routine, he turned his back on law. He attempted a publisher, printer, businessman, critic, and politician before and during his career. He failed in these efforts From his own experience, he reflects life difficulties and includes scenes.

Possibly due to his intense schedule and from health problems, Balzac suffered throughout his life. Financial and personal drama often strained his relationship with his family, and he lost more than one friend over critical reviews. In 1850, he married Ewelina Hańska, his longtime paramour; five months later, he passed away.

Reviews

[Το Άθχημο γατί του θενιόρ Γκουαναμίρου · Rating 4 out of 5]

Αυτό το σύντομο έργο του Balzac (La Paix du ménage/Οικιακή γαλήνη), βασίζεται κυρίως στους διαλόγους. Κατά μία έννοια θα μπορούσε να αποτελεί το σενάριο για ένα θεατρικό. Άλλωστε πρόκειται για άλλη μία σκηνή (Scène) στο ανθρώπινο θέατρο του συγγραφέα, όπου εκτυλίσσεται τον Νοέμβρη του 1809, την εποχή της Α' Αυτοκρατορίας. Συγκεκριμένα πρόκειται για έναν χορό που δίνει στο σπίτι του ο κόμης de Gondreville για να τιμήσει τον Μέγα Ναπολέοντα. Το έργο αρχίζει με μια σύντομη εισαγωγή στην οποία δίνεται η ατμόσφαιρα και το πνεύμα της εποχής:

"Ποτέ άλλοτε, όπως αναφέρουν εκείνοι που τα έζησαν, δεν είχε δει το Παρίσι διασκεδάσεις τόσο εξαίσιες, από εκείνες που προγήθηκαν και ακολούθησαν τον γάμο του Ναπολέοντα με την Αυστριακή αρχιδούκισσα.

Ούτε ακόμα στις πιο μεγαλειώδεις εποχές της Μοναρχίας δεν είχαν συγκεντρωθεί τόσοι εστεμμένοι στις όχθες του Σηκουάνα και ποτέ άλλοτε η γαλλική αριστοκρατία δεν είχε υπάρξει τόσο πλούσια και τόσο λαμπερή. Βροχή από διαμάντια στόλιζε τα φορέματα των κυριών και ήταν τόσο έντονη η διαφορά ανάμεσα στις χρυσοκέντητες στολές των στρατιωτικών και την ένδεια της εποχής της Δημοκρατίας, που θα έλεγε κανείς πως όλος ο πλούτος της υδρογείου είχε τρυπώσει μέσα στα παριζιάνικα κοσμικά σαλόνια.

Η νεοσύστατη Αυτοκρατορία έμοιαζε να τελεί υπό την επήρεια της μέθης. Όλοι οι ανώτεροι αξιωματικοί του στρατού, μαζί με τον ίδιο τον Ναπολέοντα, εκαναν επίδειξη του νεοπλουτισμού τους, τον οποίο κατέκτησαν χάρη στα εκατομμύρια των απλών στρατιωτών με τις φθαρμένες επωμίδες που έπρεπε να είναι ικανοποιημένοι απλώς με ένα παράσημο από κόκκινη κορδέλα.

Την εποχή εκείνη, οι περισσότερες γυναίκες ήταν επηρεασμένες από την χαλάρωση των ηθών που στο παρελθόν είχαν χαρακτηρίσει επίσης και την εποχή του Λουδοβίκου του 15ου. Είτε επειδή ήθελαν να μιμηθούν την κατατροπωμένη Μοναρχία είτε επειδή αυτό ήταν το γούστο κάποιων μελών της νέας Αυτοκρατορικής οικογένειας - έτσι τουλάχιστον υποστήριζαν κάποιοι κακόβουλοι από την αριστοκρατική συνοικία του Faubourg Saint-Germain - το σίγουρο είναι πως τόσο οι άνδρες όσο και οι γυναίκες είχαν ριχτεί στις απολαύσεις μια μια τόλμη που πρόδιδε το επερχόμενο τέλος του κόσμου.

Ωστόσο υπήρχε μια ακόμα αιτία για ετούτη την ελευθεριότητα. Η εμμονή των γυναικών για τον στρατό πήρε τη μορφή μανίας, ούτε ο ίδιος ο Αυτοκράτορας δεν μπορούσε να την ελέγξει. Οι συνεχείς επιστρατεύσεις, που έδιναν σε κάθε συνθήκη ειρήνης ανάμεσα στον Ναπολέοντα και την υπόλοιπη Ευρώπη, τον προσωρινό χαρακτήρα μιας ανακωχής, μπορούσαν να τερματίσουν τόσο απότομα αυτούς τους έρωτες όσο άξαφνες ήταν και οι αποφάσεις του Αρχιστρατήγου όλων αυτών των αξιωματικών που τόσο πολύ εντυπωσίαζαν με τις στολές και τα κορδόνια τους τις γυναίκες. Η καρδιές είναι τόσο νομαδικές όσο και τα στρατιωτικά συντάγματα. Ανάμεσα στην πρώτη και την πέμπτη επιστράτευση του Μεγάλου Στρατού μια γυναίκα μπορούσε να είναι διαδοχικά ερωμένη, σύζυγος, μητέρα και χήρα.

Ήταν η προοπτική μιας πρώιμης χηρείας, η ελπίδα μιας κληρονομιάς ή ενός ονόματος δοξασμένου στην Ιστορία που έκανε τόσο γοητευτικούς τους στρατιώτες; Ελκύονταν οι γυναίκες από την βεβαιότητα πως το μυστικό του πάθους τους θα κατέληγε θαμμένο σε κάποιο πεδίο μάχης; Ή μήπως η αιτία κρυβόταν στην ευγενή γοητεία που ασκεί στις γυναίκες ο ηρωισμός; Μπορεί να ίσχυαν όλα αυτά μαζί, αυτό μένει στους μελλοντικούς ιστορικούς των ηθών να το ξεδιαλύνουν, ειδικά επειδή αγαπούν να καταπιάνονται με τις ερωτικές ίντριγκες.

Όπως και να έχει, πρέπει να παραδεχτούμε πως εκείνη την εποχή, οι ένδοξες δάφνες έκρυβαν πολλά ελαττώματα, οι γυναίκες προτιμούσαν με πάθος τους τυχοδιώκτες, τους θεωρούσαν ως την αληθινή πηγή της τιμής, του πλούτου, της ηδονής. Και στα μάτια των νέων κοριτσιών μια επωμίδα - το ιερογλυφικό του μέλλοντος - ήταν συνώνυμο της ευτυχίας και της ελευθερίας.

Ένα στοιχείο, ιδιαίτερα χαρακτηριστικο, αυτής της ανεπανάληπτης εποχής, ήταν η ακόρεστη μανία για οτιδήποτε αστραφτερό. Πότε πριν δεν ήταν τα πυροτεχνήματα τόσο στην μόδα, ποτέ πριν τα διαμάντια δεν ήταν τόσο ακριβά. Οι άνδρες, τόσο αχόρταγοι όσο και οι γυναίκες, γι' αυτές τις διάφανες πέτρες, τα επιδείκνυαν εξίσου αφειδώς".

Η Satiat στης οποίας τη βιογραφία ανατρέχω πάντα μετά από κάθε μπαλζακική μου ανάγνωση (σελ. 155, Μπαλζάκ ή Η μανία της γραφής) αναφέρει πως μια παρόμοια ιστορία είχε ήδη καταγραφεί στην συλλογή Amusements sérieux et comiques του Charles Dufresny (1648 – 1724, θεατρικός συγγραφέας). Η ίδια ιστορία είχε αποτελέσει πηγή έμπνευσης και για τον Montesquieu (1689 – 1755) στις Περσικές επιστολές (Lettres persanes).

Συνεπώς ο Balzac καταπιάνεται με μια ιστορία ήδη γνωστή.

Μέσα από αυτή μας παρουσιάζει τους χαρακτήρες του: τον απελπισμένο κόμη Leon de Soulanges, την ωραία, νέα, πλούσια χήρα Madame de Vaudremont, τον στρατηγό de Montcornet (στην αρχική εκδοχή του έργου παραμένει ανώνυμος) τον διπλωμάτη Martial de la Roche-Hugon που κατά την διάρκεια της γιορτής επιδεικνύει ένα τεράστιο διαμαντένιο δαχτυλίδι, την ηλικιωμένη και δολοπλόκα Madame de Lansac (στην αρχική εκδοχή την ονομάζει Madame de Marigny) και... μια μυστηριώδη γοητευτική νέα, ντυμένη στα μπλε, με τα μαλλιά της χτενισμένα a la Chinoise που μοιάζει εξαιρετικά θλιμμένη και που γρήγορα θα αποτελέσει το αντικείμενο της προσοχής και του πόθου όλων των προαναφερθέντων προσώπων.

Το ενδιαφέρον είναι πως, ενώ στην αρχική έκδοση η υπόθεση κλείνει σε έναν εύθυμο τόνο, παίρνοντας την μορφή μιας καλόκαρδης φάρσας, το μεταγενέστερο κείμενο περιλαμβάνει μια τελική σκηνή με την μυστηριώδη νέα με το μπλε φόρεμα και μια αναφορά σε ένα εξαιρετικά τραγικό περιστατικό που είναι ιστορικά αληθές και καταγεγραμμένο από τον Sir Walter Scott στο The Edinburgh Annual Register.

Γιατί ο συγγραφέας αποφασίζει να δώσει ένα δυσάρεστο τέλος στην κατά τα άλλα ανάλαφρη ιστορία του; Ίσως ήθελε να επισημάνει την ματαιότητα της μεγάλης ζωής και να τονίσει ίσως εκείνο που ανέφερε στις εισαγωγικές του παραγράφους ως: το επερχόμενο τέλος του κόσμου (la fin du monde).

[Davide · Rating 3 out of 5]

Morale: Non è bello godere a sfasciar matrimoni di donne felici!
(«ne vous faites jamais un plaisir de troubler la paix des ménages, de détruire l’union des famille et le bonheur des femmes qui sont heureuses.»)

Ah, chi non l'ha vissuto non può immaginare l'allegria di quel tempo dell'apogeo di Napoleone! Altro che Belle époque! Quel tempo in cui un giovane prestante poteva diventare colonnello nel giro di due o tre campagne, tornare ogni volta più glorioso e scintillante nei balli di Parigi; e magari poi non tornare proprio più. E tutto prima dei trent'anni. Oh, che brio, che mordente, che vivacità! Che splendore di vita, che esibizione di ricchezza, di amori, di feste scintillanti!

«Un trait de cette époque unique dans nos annales et qui la caractérise, fut une passion effrénée pour tout ce qui brillait: jamais on ne donna tant de feux d’artifice, jamais le diamant n’atteignit à une si grande valeur.»

E allora cosa può fare un onesto narratore se non mettere in moto e risolvere tutto un intrigo di gioielli e tradimenti, e di fedeltà e di punizioni, in una circoscritta unità di tempo e luogo? E dove lo può far scattare? In un gran ballo, ça va sans dire: omologo scintillante della rapidità, della mancanza di costanza e di durata del breve, avventuroso, violento primo impero.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opening line:
L'aventure retracée par cette Scène se passa vers la fin du mois de novembre 1809, moment où le fugitif empire de Napoléon atteignit à l'apogée de sa splendeur.

Location 5848:
Un trait de cette époque unique dans nos annales et qui la caractérise, fut une passion effrénée pour tout ce qui brillait: jamais on ne donna tant de feux d'artifice, jamais le diamant n'atteignit à une si grande valeur.

After the Chouans and the Physiologie du marriage, La paix du menage is the oldest text that Balzac has collected in the Comedie Humaine. It has appeared in Scenes de la vie privee in 1830 and is still in all successive editions, moving relatively to one another; it should be noticed that the colonel of cuirassiers only took its current name Montcornet in 1842.

The English version can be found at Gutenberg Project.

The original French text at La Bibliothèque électronique du Québec.

3* La maison du Chat-qui-pelote (1830)
3* Le bal de Sceaux (1830)
3* La Bourse (1830)
4* La Vendetta (1830)
3* Madame Firmiani (1832)
3* Une Double Famille (1830)
4* La paix du menage (1830)

[Elizabeth (Alaska) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Balzac prefaces his story by telling us that Napoleon has been invited to the ball but is late because he is having an argument with his wife, Josephine. He tells us that this argument will lead to his divorce. And so I was led to believe Napoleon would eventually make his appearance. Would it be a spoiler to tell you I waited in vain? The story is really about some of Balzac's fictional characters. By the end, I was wondering if O.Henry had been influenced by Balzac. I'll admit that the actual reading of the story was eclipsed by the ending which I loved. If I were honest this is probably just 3-stars, but you'll find me a liar today and willing to stretch the truth.

[Classic reverie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What does a wife do to keep "Domestic Peace" in her home when her husband is not true to her? Balzac shows all the sordid society during Napoleon's regime as exemplified at this Ball.

I did not read this edition but from my Delphi collection of his works which included the introduction below.

"This 1830 short story is dedicated to Balzac’s niece, Valentine Surville, an attractive woman that the writer feared would ruin her character due to her looks. The narrative is set in 1809 at the height of Napoleon’s glory. All of France and Paris were alive at that time with Napoleon’s many successes. Malin, the Comte de Gondreville, is introduced, as he is hosting an important entertainment, with ambassadors, nobles and even princes as his guests. Everyone is eagerly waiting for Napoleon to enter, but the Emperor has not arrived, as he is having an argument with his wife Josephine. "

Story in short- A beautiful woman is watching the Ball in a hidden corner which excites interest in many there, who wonder about her.



💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢 spoiler alert💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢💢

I was happy that the countess won her husband back!
Countess Soulanges has come to a ball, from instance of her aunt who wants her nephew and her niece to have domestic peace. Count Soulanges has been seeing Madame de Vaudremont, he had given her a ring of his wife that he said he lost, and Madame de Vaudremont had given it to another lover, Martial. At the ball all notice the hidden beauty of the Countess but since she rarely goes out in society, she is an enigma. It is slowly known that this is Soulanges' wife and he will kill any man that touches her. Martial thinks that he has won Vaudremont but when he dances with the Countess, he sees bigger money ahead. She sees the ring and he gives it to her but he finds out soon that it is hers and she leaves the ball, her husband has left with her aunt but she thinks her husband is upset with her but she is happy seeing him at home and they both are in good humor. Vaudremont is no longer interested in marrying Martial after Soulanges' aunt tells of his only looking for money, she looks to marry his friend but ends up dying in a fire.

[Armin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Auf Pointe geschriebene Erzählung über eine rätselhafte Schönheit, die Freunde zu Rivalen macht, an der es am Ende aber keine Sieger gibt. Mit die früheste Erzählung der HC, die zwei Sterne sind im Vergleich zum Rest des Zyklus, sonst während durchaus drei angebracht.

[puhiza januzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

nanen borgjezeve

[James F · Rating 2 out of 5]

Set a bit earlier than the other Balzac novellas I have read so far, in the design of the Comédie humaine this is concerned with painting the moeurs of the Napoleonic upper classes. As far as the plot, set at a ball, it seemed like a YA novel taking place at a high school dance, with all the stereotypes of the "popular girl", "mean girl", "new girl", "jocks trying to score" and so forth; rather disconcerting when the characters are supposed to be in their mid-twenties or older and the "jocks" are high ranking officers of "La grande armée". (In case you think this is anachronistic, at one point Balzac actually compares one of the characters to a high school student.) I guess when someone writes as many works as Balzac, he's bound to have an occasional "miss", and this is one.

[Leslie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Maxime N. Georgel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Morale «ne vous faites jamais un plaisir de troubler la paix des ménages, de détruire l’union des famille et le bonheur des femmes qui sont heureuses.»

Admirablement bien écrit.

[Daniel Kleven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. As Balzaccy as it gets, with a fantastic twist at the end. This would make a great film, honestly.

[Liedzeit Liedzeit · Rating 4 out of 5]

Auf einem Ball lässt eine unbekannte Schöne einen Kavalier abblitzen. Dessen Freund versucht sein Glück und hat Erfolg. Er schenkt ihr einen Ring. Diesen Ring hat er über Umwege, denen ich nicht folgen konnte, erhalten. Wie sich herausstellt, gehörte er ursprünglich eben der Schönen. Deren Mann hatte ihn, gar nicht nett, seiner Geliebten geschenkt. Und tatsächlich ist das Ganze darauf abgelegt, den Ring wieder zu erhalten. Ach so. Böser Gatte ist übrigens auch anwesend und gar nicht entzückt. Jedenfalls kehrt Gattin zurück, verzeiht dem Schlawiner und der Ehefrieden ist wieder hergestellt. Und wenn das ein wenig doof klingt, dann wohl, weil es das ist.

[Lisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This whole story seemed to be a storm in a tea-cup. A mysterious lady in blue is at a ball; the chaps are all fascinated. Martial bets that he can get this ice-maiden to dance with him and he does.
And when he does, Madame de Soulanges takes his ring - because it's hers. Her husband had given it to his lady-friend, who in turn had given it to Martial. There's a show-down when she goes home and hubby notices the ring.
The characters are whirling around like the dancers at the ball and not to much purpose IMO.

[Phil · Rating 3 out of 5]

(The Human Comedy #16/98)
Typical Balzac, really: flirts with sexual freedoms, especially wealthy women, but really wants folk caged in a marriage; takes 40 pages to tell a story that would have done itself more justice with less than 20; a nice line in moustache-twirling lotharios; the usual wandering husband brought back into line by the clever and virtuous wife.

I was however surprised by its very callous and abrupt last sentence. That really was a shock from Balzac (and probably why it got 3 stars rather than 2).

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 4 out of 5]

La Paix du Menage by Honore de Balzac – you can find this and thousands of other great books at https://librivox.org/
Nine out of 10


La Paix du Menage is the seventh narrative from the epic, monumental La Comedie Humaine, which so far seems to have been equally entitled to be called La Folie Humaine, and it recalls the first short novel in the series, La Maison du Chat-Qui-Pelote, perhaps on at least two levels, one of a rather poignant detail, whereas in La Maison - http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/05/l... - the wife of the painter receives from the mistress a precious painting, acclaimed by the public and critics, the one that has raised the profile of her husband, but this symbol of folly, debauchery, decadence and cheating is torn apart by its author, in La Paix du Menage, a ring with a diamond is offered by the husband, compte de Soulanges, to his lover, who in turn gives it to baron Martial and then finally, it returns to the wife.

The other level on which La Paix du Menage resembles La Maison du Chat Qui Pelote would be this adultery, the fact that le compte de Soulanges is infatuated with another woman, in part due to the Honeymoon effect maybe – the phenomenon which has men and women interested in someone else, even if not equal to their partner, but benefiting from the advantage of being different, new, which explains why so many tend to part after two years…as one expert, Tal Ben-Shahar puts it, you could be with Hale Berry and cheat with someone who is much less handsome, but she is different…the other Effect we could quote is the Coolidge Effect and here is the anecdote in short…the American president went to visit a farm with his wife and she notices the febrile interaction between rooster and hens and she asked how many times per day does he copulate – if that is the word – with the companions and when the answer was perhaps eighty or more times she urged them to tell the president, who asked if it is the same hen and when informed that it is always a different one he wanted them to pass this information to his wife…
As in La Maison du Chat, the consort of a stunning, glorious woman is seeking to find joy in other quarters and he is present at a ball given in November 1809, after the battle of Wagram, occasioned by the marriage of Napoleon Bonaparte with the archduchess of Austria, Marie Louise, I think daughter of the emperor, organized by the count de Gondreville, where a stranger in blue dress, shy and withdrawn as she is has attracted the attention of all present.

The fact that this takes place at a ball, brings to mind Le Bal de Sceaux - http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/05/l... - where we have at the center another misunderstanding, the main character, Emilie de Fontaine meets another stranger, this time a man, and she is enchanted, pursues this relationship, almost sure that she has finally met the consort, after declining so many suitors, proud and arrogant, thinking her status would make her worthy of a peer, though she wants more from her future spouse than just title and riches, and the discovery of this unknown man looks like a miracle, though nobody has any information about him and eventually, when she sees him helping someone in a shop, the vain woman is so disappointed and humiliated in her august expectations that she marries a much older admiral, only to be turned to stone when the one she had selected and then discarded would be anointed peer of France and would be extremely rich…

There would be some common elements with La Bourse - http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/05/l... - where a noble young man, Theodore de Sommervieux, is happy with the encounter of Mademoiselle Adelaide Lesseigneur, but intrigued of the relationship she and her mother has with some visitors who lose the same amount of money each night, at a game of cards and when he does not find his Bourse – something that served as a wallet at that time – he is almost sure that the poor women have taken it – true, he does find some justification for the act, seeing that they live without means, the death of the father has left them almost penniless, but he is wrong nonetheless and this proves that we can often be oblivious to the near perfect people that we have near us, just like compte de Soulanges in La Paix.
Monsieur de Soulages is furious when he thinks his honor is perhaps placed under a cloud and thus we think of La Vendetta - http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/05/l... - wherein we have Bartolomeo di Piombo play the role of the Raging Bull, as he takes his Vendetta to an extreme where his daughter, Ginevra, and his grandson would die of hunger and in squalor, because he would disinherit her and not agree with the marriage to a member of the rival clan, Porta, the ones that have indeed killed all his relatives, except for Ginevra and her mother, in what reminds us of Romeo and Juliet and the hatred between the Montagues and the Capulets that results in catastrophe.

Madame Firmiani - http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/06/m... - is the only cheerful chapter in La Comedie Humaine so far and maybe La Paix du Menage, with its symbolic title, would follow a more Panglossian, positive script, for even if there are doubts about the personality of Madame Firmiani, some say clever and others stupid, one group thinks she is virtuous and another that she has squandered the fortune of Octave de Camps, nephew of the rich Monsieur de Bourbonne, in the end, she proves to be a Wonder Woman, the guardian angel and lover of the young man, who has convinced him that it is better to Be than to Have and thus he gave the wealth owed to another and gained in the process something much more valuable than money, a splendid wife, love, virtue and bliss…
The previous story in this classic magnum opera is Une Double Famille http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/06/u... - wherein we follow the fate of Mademoiselle Caroline de Clochard and Roger Granville, the latter being the one with the Double Family, which is almost the fate we expect for count de Soulanges in La Paix du Menage – if he does not find the treasure, the splendid spouse he has at home, present also at the ball, where baron Martial de la Roche –Hugon bets with the count de Montcornet as to who would be able to dance with the stranger aka Madame de Soulanges – while others are also mesmerized by the unknown beauty, who puts the celebrities that are generally rivals for the title of the queen of the soiree in the shadows

If you want to ensure your own Paix du Menage, you might want to read The Seven Principles of Making Marriage Work, by John Gottman, the expert with an accuracy rate in his predictions as to what couple would stay together and which ones would separate of over ninety percent - http://realini.blogspot.com/2015/07/t...

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The setting is the period surrounding Napoleon's marriage to his second wife Marie Louise and the festivities around that period. The entire short story is set during a ball in which there is much intrigue around a mysterious beautiful lady in blue whose name is unknown, and who is clearly different from the other fashionable guests who engage in coquetry, gambling and bragging. The Comte de Montcornet and Baron Martial de la Roche-Hugon discuss her; Martial has also recently been involved in romance with Madame de Vaudremont, the prettiest lady in Paris. Madame de Vaudremont had previously been in an affair with the Comte de Soulange who gave her a diamond ring, taken from his wife, which she in turn lent to Martial. Martial eventually gives the diamond ring to the lady in blue, who turns out to be Soulange's wife, and with the regained ring she restores peace in her household.

This was fairly interesting for a Balzac story. There are elements of mystery and entanglements that unwind themselves, piece by piece. The last sentence was surprising, and reminds us that despite the seemingly trivial and flirtatious nature of the relationships in this ball, it was set in a dangerous time period.

[Lloyd Hughes · Rating 3 out of 5]

Everybody who’s anybody is in attendance at Comte de Gondreville’s fete. They are there resplendently dressedto see and to be seen. Comte de Soulanges is there as is the Comtessa, unknown to him. She is beautiful, the fairest of all. She has ensconced herself in a remote location under a candelabra, but her presence isn’t hidden from all, many are able to notice and enjoy her ravishing beauty. The Martial notices her: he is attracted, enamored—makes a wager he will dance with her before the night ends. Comtessa de Vaudremont gave him a diamond that Comte Soulanges had gifted her when she (Comtessa de Vauremont) was his mistress), for him to bestow on her whom he hoped would succumb to his seductions. This was Comtessa V’s way to return Comtessa’s diamond to her—Comte S stole the diamond from his wife, told her he lost it, and gave it to his mistress Comtessa V. When the Martial presented this diamond to Comtessa S she thanked him for returning it to her. 3 stars.

[Antonio · Rating 5 out of 5]

"La pace coniugale" è il magistrale racconto di un intrigo amoroso che però viene rappresentato attraverso lo sguardo, anzi gli sguardi dei personaggi durante un ricevimento. Fa meraviglia come il borghese Balzac abbia avuto una tale conoscenza del modus vivendi del "bel mondo" aristocratico.
La storia si svolge al tempo dell'impero napoleonico, in cui si riconfigurano i rapporti tra vecchi aristocratici e nuovi arricchiti, di cui è difficile dire chi sia peggio per opportunismo, se la sconfitta aristocrazia realista o la pletora di spregiudicati nuovi arricchiti.
La storia libertina di "amori" e tradimenti vede vittima una giovane sconosciuta che si fa notare per la sua diversità rispetto all'ambiente circostante e che sembra per ciò essere messa dal narratore su un piano di superiorità morale, piano da cui si giudica la nuova società, che ha molto di vecchio e poco di nuovo, e sicuramente di poetico.
Amore e relazioni matrimoniali, cioè passioni e istituzioni, evidentemente non vanno d'accordo e non trovano punti di contatto.
La società aristocratica e quella napoleonica si influenzano a tal punto da risultare, da questo punto di vista, indistinguibili.

[Michael Milde · Rating 3 out of 5]

Äußerst komplizierter Plot. Paris, ein Ball beim Grafen de Gondreville. Zwei junge Männer gehen eine Wette ein: wer verführt die schöne, aber traurige Unbekannte, die im Dunkeln unter einem Kandelaber steht!? Sie ist die Ehefrau, die von ihrem Ehemann betrogen wird, der ebenfalls auf dem Ball ist. Er hat vorgeblich seinen Ring verloren, aber diesen seiner Geliebten gegeben, die wiederum diesen an einen Verehrer - eben einen der jungen Männer weitergegeben hat. Letzterer gibt den Ring, ohne zu wissen, dass es sich bei der schönen Unbekannten um die Ehefrau handelt, die diesen Ring einst besaß. Alles kreist um eben diesen Haushalt, der ménage des Titels. Die Gesellschaft wird gnadenlos seziert in ihrer Gewinnsucht, ihren kurzlebigen Begehrlichkeiten zur Zeit Napoleons.

[Christina Widmann · Rating 2 out of 5]

compte rendu ici.

[Mariam Hovhannesyan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Женщины с таким же любопытством относятся к мужчинам, верным своей любви, с каким мужчины относятся к красивой и непостоянной женщине.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

not his best but interesting and included the fire at reception for Napolean's wedding.

[The Reading Bibliophile · Rating 2 out of 5]

Les cancans lors d'un bal à la période napoléonienne. Sans intérêt.

[Tatiana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Too short to give the reader an actual fully fleshed out story, but a perfectly crafted little slice of life back in 1809 Paris.

[David Bisset · Rating 4 out of 5]

A vivid depiction of aristocratic life in Napoleon's Paris. A ring that has foolishly been given away is retrieved by the wronged wife.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Less melodramatic than some of his work. He is excellent at settings, no doubt, though I really don't approve of his portrayals of women.

[Miles Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story in Le Comédie humaine is a bit complicated and wordy but the ending is worth it.

[JORGE FERREIRA GOMEZ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peculiar retrato Balzaciano

La paz del hogar "impone" mutuas concesiones, con la ironía y plasticidad de la prosa del más grande, entre los grandes

[Leif · Rating 4 out of 5]

Toujours drôle (meh) ces nouvelles dont le dernier paragraphe ressemblent à : "et à la fin ce personnage est décédé dans un incendie lol"

[Irving Martínez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me parece una buena crítica a la sociedad francesa, la cuál estaba plagada de doble moral (en particular con el matrimonio) y vanidad.