The Physiology of Marriage (New ed)

Examines the economics and power relationships of seduction and love.

Balzac proposes that marriage and the selection of a wife be treated as a science, and examines topics ranging from moral education to methods for foiling adulterous relationships.

For all its misogyny, the book is evenhanded in its rough treatment of both men and women (and is said to be written in collaboration of two women).

Though addressed to a male audience, its lively attack on the stale institution of marriage made it popular with women readers of the day.