In this novel, A Woman of Thirty, Balzac draws a portrait of a miserable marriage: a marriage of unequal sensibilities. Julie is an intelligent, sensitive woman paired with a man of mediocre talents which are masked by his rank and wealth. The story opens in 1813, April, on "a morning which gav...

In this novel, A Woman of Thirty, Balzac draws a portrait of a miserable marriage: a marriage of unequal sensibilities. Julie is an intelligent, sensitive woman paired with a man of mediocre talents which are masked by his rank and wealth. The story opens in 1813, April, on "a morning which gave promise of one those bright days when Parisians, for the first time in the year, behold dry pavement underfoot and a cloudless sky overhead." This perfect weather is a glorious backdrop for the spectacle about to take place at the Tuileries-a "magnificent review" of Napoleon's forces. In the crowd is Julie, who's excitedly dragging her father along to watch the spectacle. It's clear that she's there to see someone very specific-Colonel Victor D'Aiglemont. Julie cannot hide her emotions, and her father, guessing that his daughter is in love, warns her not to marry D'Aiglemont...