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Quote by Honoré de Balzac

“I see in marriage, as it at present exists, two opposing forces which it was the task of the lawgiver to reconcile. ... The laws were made by old men—any woman can see that—and they have been prudent enough to decree that conjugal love, apart from passion, is not degrading, and that a woman in yielding herself may dispense with the sanction of love, provided the man can legally call her his. In their exclusive concern for the family they have imitated Nature, whose one care is to propagate the species. Formerly I was a person, now I am a chattel. Not a few tears have I gulped down, alone and far from every one. ...”

Quote by Honoré de Balzac

Book:Letters of Two Brides
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Letters of Two Brides

This book presents a series of letters exchanged between two women preparing for marriage, offering insights into the emotions and experiences surrounding the institution of marriage during the time period in which the letters were written. more

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Honoré de Balzac

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