| Abstrakt: |
The article discusses the memoirs of the countess Marie de Raymond, a descendant of Montesquieu, the French political and social theorist, with information on what the countess's memoirs reveal about social conditions for upper-class families in Agen, France during the 19th century. Topics include a study of family structure and the social function of families during the time of the French author Honoré de Balzac, the provincial customs of the bourgeoisie, and factors related to social climbing to gain entrance to the elite class traditionally determined by family membership in the nobility. |
