The Celibates

"The Celibates" by Honoré de Balzac is a novel set in 19th-century France that looks at the lives of unmarried people and their places in society. It tells the tales of single men and women, focusing on Pierrette Lorrain and her cousin, Sylvie Rogron, as they navigate their relationships and lives. The story begins by introducing the town of Provins, where a young worker named Brigaut loves Pierrette, a girl stuck in her situation. Pierrette's guardians, the Rogrons, don't really want her and have selfish reasons for taking her in, showing a dark picture of family and what society expects. The novel explores the trials that these unmarried characters, especially Pierrette, face as they live limited lives full of secrets, goals, and the hard truths of their social positions.