[Gutenberg 6033] • Petty Troubles of Married Life, First Part

PREFACE PART I: IN WHICH EVERY ONE WILL FIND HIS OWN IMPRESSIONS OF MARRIAGE

Marriage is contemplated for Adolphe in the manner of purchasing a horse: Caroline’s qualifications: “good family, well bred, pretty, and three hundred thousand in her own right.” Adolphe and Caroline exchange social niceties stiffly while the real work is done by the family notaries. Adolphe is the son of a rich landed proprietor, “what sensible families most seek”, and he will “someday” have an income of 60,000. ([from a blog on Balzac](http://balzacbooks.wordpress.com/tag/petty-troubles-of-married-life/))