The Peasants

General Montcornet buys the estate of Les Aigues, expecting to exercise firm control over his property. Instead, he encounters the interests of villagers and local businessmen. Disputes over woodland, income and customary rights become part of a struggle for the estate’s future. This novel from The Human Comedy moves from Parisian salons to the French countryside. Balzac examines the relationships between landowners, officials, intermediaries and peasants, showing how property and mutual distrust turn everyday disagreements into a wider social conflict.