Honoré de Balzac 
The Deserted Woman 

Some of Honore de Balzac's best writing focuses on the frustrations and passions of women trapped in unhappy marriages. In the novella "The Deserted Woman, " the Vicomtesse de Beauseant is trapped, but it is partially a trap of her own making. Abandoned by her lover and estranged from her husband, she contemplates her limited options.