Honore de Balzac 
Madame Firmiani 

Master of realism Honore de Balzac highlights his brilliant knack for character development in the short story "Madame Firmiani." The story’s plot is slight, dealing in large part with the mysterious identity of Madame Firmiani’s husband. As always, where Balzac truly shines is in delving into the nuance of human behavior and personality.