Honoré de Balzac was born in 1799 in Tours, France. Growing up to the fall of Napoleon, he witnessed the harsh consequences it had on French society. Although he was designated by his family to become a lawyer, Balzac wrote feverishly throughout his life, composing dozens of novels, novellas, and short stories, which together he titled “The Human Comedy” – his life-work project to characterize French society and describe its many components. Balzac died in 1850, at the age of 51.