The cover page is adapted from The Letter, a painting completed circa 1865 by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot. The cover and title pages feature the League Spartan and Sorts Mill Goudy typefaces created in 2014 and 2009 by The League of Moveable Type. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Baptiste-Camille_Corotwww.theleagueofmoveabletype.com/
Letters of Two Brides
Chapters (58)
- Dedication 0:00
- First Part: I: Louise de Chaulieu to Renée de Maucombe 1:30
- II: The Same to the Same 30:22
- III: The Same to the Same 43:13
- IV: The Same to the Same 53:44
- V: Renée de Maucombe to Louise de Chaulieu 1:02:07
- VI: Don Felipe Hénarez to Don Fernand 1:15:09
- VII: Louise de Chaulieu to Renée de Maucombe 1:29:20
- VIII: The Same to the Same 1:44:30
- IX: Mme. de l’Estorade to Mlle. de Chaulieu 1:51:06
- X: Mlle. de Chaulieu to Mme. de l’Estorade 1:54:59
- XI: Mme. de l’Estorade to Mlle. de Chaulieu 2:01:14
- XII: Mlle. de Chaulieu to Mme. de l’Estorade 2:01:58
- XIII: Mme. de l’Estorade to Mlle. de Chaulieu 2:27:42
- XIV: The Duc de Soria to the Baron de Macumer 2:50:48
- XV: Louise de Chaulieu to Mme. de l’Estorade 2:53:32
- XVI: The Same to the Same 3:14:24
- XVII: The Same to the Same 3:17:57
- XVIII: Mme. de l’Estorade to Louise de Chaulieu 3:21:39
- XIX: Louise de Chaulieu to Mme. de l’Estorade 3:30:29
- XX: Renée de l’Estorade to Louise de Chaulieu 3:43:56
- XXI: Louise de Chaulieu to Renée de l’Estorade 3:50:44
- XXII: Louise to Felipe 4:04:03
- XXIII: Felipe to Louise 4:12:21
- XXIV: Louise de Chaulieu to Renée de l’Estorade 4:20:24
- XXV: Renée de l’Estorade to Louise de Chaulieu 4:36:51
- XXVI: Louise de Macumer to Renée de l’Estorade 4:41:42
- XXVII: The Same to the Same 4:53:48
- XXVIII: Renée de l’Estorade to Louise de Macumer 5:07:34
- XXIX: M. de l’Estorade to the Baronne de Macumer 5:19:33
- XXX: Louise de Macumer to Renée de l’Estorade 5:23:09
- XXXI: Renée de l’Estorade to Louise de Macumer 5:28:56
- XXXII: Mme. de Macumer to Mme. de l’Estorade 5:45:53
- XXXIII: Mme. de l’Estorade to Mme. de Macumer 5:54:44
- XXXIV: Mme. de Macumer to the Vicomtesse de l’Estorade 5:57:04
- XXXV: The Same to the Same 5:57:42
- XXXVI: The Vicomtesse de l’Estorade to the Baronne de Macumer 6:04:02
- XXXVII: The Baronne de Macumer to the Vicomtesse de l’Estorade 6:17:48
- XXXVIII: The Vicomtesse de l’Estorade to the Baronne de Macumer 6:19:43
- XXXIX: The Baronne de Macumer to the Vicomtesse de l’Estorade 6:21:21
- XL: The Comtesse de l’Estorade to the Baronne de Macumer 6:25:34
- XLI: The Baronne de Macumer to the Vicomtesse de l’Estorade 6:38:02
- XLII: Renée to Louise 6:42:46
- XLIII: Mme. de Macumer to the Comtesse de l’Estorade 6:44:39
- XLIV: The Same to the Same 6:48:01
- XLV: Renée to Louise 6:50:42
- XLVI: Mme. de Macumer to the Comtesse de l’Estorade 7:09:04
- XLVII: Renée to Louise 7:18:17
- Second Part: XLVIII: The Baronne de Macumer to the Comtesse de l’Estorade 7:19:55
- XLIX: Marie Gaston to Daniel d’Arthez 7:45:57
- L: Mme. de l’Estorade to Mme. de Macumer 7:52:14
- LI: The Comtesse de l’Estorade to Mme. Marie Gaston 7:56:19
- LII: Mme. Gaston to Mme. de l’Estorade 8:09:28
- LIII: Mme. de l’Estorade to Mme. Gaston 8:28:46
- LIV: Mme. Gaston to the Comtesse de l’Estorade 8:37:17
- LV: The Comtesse de l’Estorade to Mme. Gaston 9:02:46
- LVI: Mme. Gaston to the Comtesse de l’Estorade 9:08:57
- LVII: The Comtesse de l’Estorade to the Comte de l’Estorade 9:09:47
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Letters of Two Brides is an epistolary novel, largely consisting of letters between two women who become friends in a convent in their teenage years. They begin their correspondence when they depart the order as young women and embark on their lives in different areas of France. Louise is a woman of passion, a lover of love, who must have a great romance in order to be fulfilled. Renée is measured, a women of sense, desiring a love that will last a lifetime rather than (in her way of thinking) flame out like a comet. In several of their epistles, each takes the other to task over her approach to life and love. As their ages and respective marriages progress, it becomes obvious where Balzac’s sympathies lie.
One of the later additions to The Human Comedy, Letters of Two Brides was originally serialized (and heavily bowdlerized) in the French journal La Presse in 1841, in three parts rather than two. It was not until the second edition of the novel that it was repartitioned into its present form.