Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog Project Gutenberg 1999-10-01 Public domain in the USA. 201 Balzac, Honoré de 1799 1850 Balzac, Honore de Saint-Aubin, Horace de De Balzac, Honoré Balzac, H. de (Honoré de) Waring, James The Muse of the Department Produced by John Bickers, and Dagny, and David Widger "The Muse of the Department" by Honoré de Balzac is a novel written in the early 19th century, reflecting the complexities of provincial life in France. The story introduces several central characters, including Dinah Piedefer, a beautiful and intelligent woman, and her husband, Monsieur de la Baudraye, who struggles with his own insecurities and ambitions. The novel explores themes of social status, ambition, and the penetrating conflicts faced by women in a provincial setting, especially against the backdrop of rising intellectual and artistic movements. At the start of the narrative, we are introduced to the town of Sancerre, a picturesque locale by the Loire River, where Dinah is regarded as a "Superior Woman." Despite her charm and intellect, she struggles with the constraints of her provincial life, caught between her aspirations and her mundane existence. The opening chapters reveal snippets of her past and familial background, as well as her marriage to the diminutive and cold Monsieur de la Baudraye, who remains largely indifferent to her desires for intellectual and artistic fulfillment. This combination of beauty, talent, and emotional struggle sets the stage for a rich exploration of Dinah's challenges and the societal norms of 1830s France. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 66.1 (8th & 9th grade). Neither easy nor difficult to read. en French fiction -- Translations into English PQ Text Category: Novels Category: French Literature 449877 2025-07-01T11:07:00.234555 text/html 464532 2021-01-27T16:41:27 text/html; charset=utf-8 159895 2021-01-27T16:41:27 text/html; charset=utf-8 application/zip 232357 2025-07-01T11:07:07.680502 application/epub+zip 239595 2025-07-01T11:07:02.903551 application/epub+zip 235954 2025-07-01T11:07:01.764532 application/epub+zip 418794 2025-07-01T11:07:11.095404 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 408359 2025-07-01T11:07:06.996484 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 364373 2022-09-01T12:52:19.204164 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 395543 2025-07-01T11:06:59.550455 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 395422 2016-11-23T08:37:22 text/plain; charset=utf-8 152570 2016-11-23T08:39:08 text/plain; charset=utf-8 application/zip 389735 2010-03-05T16:17:38 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 151784 2010-03-05T16:19:30 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 21059 2025-07-01T11:07:11.220470 application/rdf+xml 12745 2025-07-01T11:07:02.256494 image/jpeg 3602 2025-07-01T11:07:02.010452 image/jpeg 228927 2025-07-01T11:07:00.276490 application/octet-stream application/zip fr.wikipedia More titles under Marriage, Ellen en.wikipedia