A towering masterpiece of 19th century French literature, The Human Comedy is a sprawling, panoramic portrait of society and civilization on the brink of modernity. In these five tales of love, ambition, and despair, Balzac reveals himself as a master of psychological insight and social critique, and an indispensable guide to the mysteries of the human heart. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.