Our contemporaries, especially young people, read, alas, infrequently and not much. Many of the classics are known by hearsay. Some quotes are sometimes mentioned in the conversation, often distorting their meaning. An example is the phrase "beauty will save the world", attributed to F. M. Dostoevsky. This is what one of his characters really says, but not arguing, but doubting: “So what do you think beauty will save the world?”. And here is another popular expression - "Balzac's age." How much is this? Fourty? Fifty? Thirty five? Let's figure it out.

History of expression

Honore de Balzac was a great connoisseur of psychology, especially women's. Such an important quality for a writer can only come from a great love for people, in particular, for the fair sex. To know, you need to love. Therefore, when a man sticks the label “lady of Balzac’s age” to one of his acquaintances, and even with a dismissive intonation, then, as a rule, this is a sign that he has not read the great French classic, does not know his thoughts, and even in amorous affairs, obviously, is not strong.

Balzac and Chekhov

In A.P. Chekhov's story "The Jumper" there is an expression "Balzac's age". How old is the heroine? Twenty? And the lady, who was already over forty, recognized herself in her. He ironically ranks his wife and a notary, a character in another Chekhov's story "From Nothing to Do", to the same group. How old she is is not specified, but it is clear from the narrative that she is not very young. But the notary's sarcasm is more likely not about the years, but about the behavior of his wife.

How old are the heroines of Balzac?

The characters in O. Balzac's "Studies on Morals" are by no means at the age that we call pre-retirement. They are thirty or so. The most flourishing, and to withering is still far away. No matter what they say about the hard life of French women, suppressed and disenfranchised, somehow it is hard to believe that our contemporaries are much easier. That is to say, it is unbelievable. And who can say that they look bad, that a thirty-year-old or even forty-year-old Russian woman, or, for example, a Ukrainian woman, is an old woman? There are some variations, of course, but for the most part...

How many years fit in Balzac age

And yet ... Balzac's age is how old? The answer seems to be obvious, it is even contained in the title of one of the works of the French classic - "The Thirty-Year-Old Woman". This is if taken literally. But the point is not in years, but in that propensity for adventure, the desire to be happy, despite the circumstances, the desire to feel like a woman, loved and beautiful, that is, the qualities inherent in the heroines of the novels of the French writer. And if an adult man inquires, asking: “Balzac age, how much is it?” - and wants to hear a specific figure, then you can only sympathize with him, he does not understand anything in women. Because it can be at thirty, and at forty, and at fifty, and at sixty, until a woman despairs in her search for love and is not disappointed in life.

How would Balzac himself react? Bold Guess

Balzac, by his own admission and with his characteristic frankness, said that all his life he dreamed of at least once feeling like a woman. These days, for such a phrase, he would have got it. They would immediately rank as one of some minority, although only a real man and a great artist could say so. Probably, Balzac himself would have been surprised by the expression "Balzac's age." "How much is this? - he would ask, - and even the age was named after me? This is glory!”

Many of the wording itself is not entirely clear, the Balzac age for women is how old it is, why is this age period called that, when and where did this name come from? Is it appropriate to use it or is it a subtle hint that a woman is in adulthood?

In the article we will answer what age is considered Balzac, what is the meaning of this phrase, and when it is appropriate to use the phrase "Lady of Balzac's age."

History of the origin of the term

Where did the expression come from? It all started with the famous novel "The Thirty-Year-Old Woman". In 1842, the novel by Honore de Balzac made a splash in the literary world. The novel raised the idea of ​​love without obligation. This feeling was opposed to the decent behavior of a married lady. The central narrative was about the relationship of a married woman with her lover.

Honore de Balzac (1799 - 1850)

In the 19th century, a thirty-year-old woman was called a "matrona", which means not a delicate "old woman". Her main duties were considered: taking care of the house, children, caring for her spouse. There was no talk of secular or entertainment events. This means that the lady could visit them, but she could not afford to dance some of the dances. The woman refused many entertainments and flirting with members of the opposite sex. Why do many ladies prefer to just stay at home.

Many ladies in their thirties have been attracted to men, but a wife is not allowed to have a relationship with anyone other than her lawful husband.

Hence the expression - a woman of Balzac's age.

Maturity is a new page in life

The main dilemma for a girl entering the Balzac age is how to remain attractive. Many ladies at the age of 30 begin to feel competition in the face of young girls. They feel uncomfortable when they are around them. It is not uncommon for men to cheat on their wives with young partners.

Women of Balzac age already have a decent life experience. They are free from complexes and antics. At this age, a woman is completely liberated. It is not limited to youthful chastity and stiffness in behavior. No wonder they say that at this age there comes the peak of a woman's sexual activity. The answer to the question - Balzac's age is how many years, numbers from thirty to forty are called.

Women have thoughts of becoming “free” and separating themselves from men and obligations to anyone. In the modern world, there is a popular term "Self-made woman". It translates as "a woman who made herself." This period often passes under this slogan. Women in their 30s to 40s and beyond tend to be optimistic and energetic. They are ready to reach new heights and succeed.

Behavioral patterns of women at the onset of maturity

Everyone has a different attitude to this period. Some meet the cherished thirty years with dignity and readiness. First of all, they begin to take care of children and grandchildren. Ladies devote more time to themselves and their hobbies. Engage in self-development. They do things that they never had time for before. They give importance to many little things.

Others are trying to adapt to a new social role in society. For them, this means leaving their comfort zone and accepting “new rules of the game”. A woman learns to accept the signs of aging and learn to hide them.

The third option is the most radical. These women flatly refuse to accept the fact that old age is coming. They go to extremes: they use a huge amount of cosmetics, do plastic surgery, regularly visit a beautician, start doing dubious facial exercises. Ladies do not understand that the onset of these changes is inevitable, but they cling to their youth to the end and not by the most reasonable methods.

The attitude of society towards middle-aged women

The image of the Balzac lady is actively used in popular culture. An example is the series "Sex and the City", based on the novel by Candace Bushnell. It features four friends who are trying to arrange a personal life. Heroines in their thirties. They say that this series makes women understand that in adulthood everything is just beginning. If you did not have time to "jump on the train" - this does not mean that he left completely. This is one of the main ideas of the picture. The series to this day remains popular among the female half.

How should a woman behave during this period?

• Go in for sports. Fitness, swimming, running - it doesn't matter. Most importantly, watch your body and constantly keep yourself in good shape.
• Take care of your appearance. If you have not used cosmetics before, it's time to learn. No one is talking about tons of powder, but a slight blush will help you feel more confident, and elegantly lined eyes with a pencil will completely divert the gaze of men from young ladies in your favor.
• Find a new hobby. No need to think that at thirty it's too late to start a new hobby. During this period of life, new opportunities for self-development open up for you. The views are formed and you know exactly what you want.
• Peace of mind. By this age, a woman knows how to listen to herself. A great opportunity to start helping other people instead of emotional experiences and constant reflection.

"Woman Balzac age"- this popular expression came into use after the publication of the novel by the French writer Honore de Balzac "The Thirty-Year-Old Woman". The character of the novel is a self-sufficient woman striving for freedom and independence.

She possessed worldly wisdom and a well-established character. The French concluded that this is exactly what the ideal of a mature lady looks like, so in their inexhaustible wit they awarded this title to all women over thirty.

Balzac age is how old

In the time of Balzac, beauties married very young, barely reaching the age of sixteen. It was a golden age, they shone in society, became mothers. And then the period of extinction began, and after twenty charms they were no longer called young, but at thirty or forty they were elderly ladies, wise by experience.

And life expectancy was much less. In Russia, there was even an expression: "the Babi age is short-lived." It was believed that after thirty a woman has no right to love. Over time, the approach to age has changed and experts, speaking of balzac age, lean more toward forty-five years.

And now there is a tendency to increase to fifty-fifty-five years. New expressions appeared on this occasion: "Forty-five is a woman's berry again." Experts in developmental psychology believe that between thirty and forty people experience a midlife crisis. It happens to everyone differently and at different ages. Women rethink their lives and experience a reassessment of values ​​precisely at the Balzac age.

If in Balzac's novel the age of thirty was for a woman an opportunity to experience a second youth, today, balzac age- this is a time of crisis, when the desired and the actual are compared, and the second youth comes after forty, closer to fifty. Therefore, in the modern world, the dates were postponed by twenty years. After forty-five, life for modern women enters a new direction. The children have grown up, a career has been built, a free flight is ahead. Live and enjoy what life has in store for you.

Balzac women

Today, from a social point of view, the Balzac age means for a woman the time when she can devote herself to her favorite activities, devote more time to herself. Age makes ladies wiser, they already understand a lot in life, having experience behind them. What puzzled me when I was young now seems as simple as two and two.

A woman at this age is well versed in people, avoids conflicts, and if they do happen, she wisely approaches their resolution. A lot of things change in family life. She looks at her husband's infidelity differently, she is less worried about her husband's bad behavior.

According to statistics, at this age, men heavily abuse alcohol and begin to go "to the side." What used to seem like a catastrophe is now perceived differently: with worldly wisdom. A woman knows exactly what she wants, she is able to enjoy life.

Psychologists, studying this age, came to an amazing conclusion: women feel freer and more carefree, set new goals in life, are open to everything unfamiliar, unknown, ready for experiments. There is nothing more stupid than with the onset of Balzac's age to write yourself down as an old woman. A person is as old as he feels. This wonderful age, you just need to love yourself, and everyone can make these years enjoyable.

There are the following age periods of a person:

1. Childhood- from birth to the beginning of the period (12-13 years).

2. Adolescence(puberty) - from 12-13 to 16 years in girls and from 13-14 to 17-18 years in boys. This age is characterized by a sharp increase in body length with an annual increase of 5-6 cm. By the age of 15 (compared to a newborn) it triples and reaches an average of 158 cm in boys and 156 cm in girls. Body weight, respectively, is 48 and 49 kg. By the age of 14-15, all permanent ones appear, except for wisdom teeth. During this period, one of the most important age-related crises sets in - puberty, which is based on a change in the function of the endocrine system of the body, which leads to the appearance of secondary ones, the onset of menstruation in girls and the appearance in boys. The general metabolism in the body becomes intense, but unstable, labile. The mental life of a teenager is very complex and unstable and requires great tact and endurance from teachers, doctors and parents.

3. adolescence- from 16 to 25 years for women and from 17 to 26 years for men. Growth retardation is characteristic, the average annual increase is 0.5 cm. Wisdom teeth usually appear at this age.

4. adult age- from 25 to 40 years for women and from 26 to 45 years for men. The period of relative stabilization of morphological and metabolic processes.

5. Mature age- from 40 to 55 years for women and from 45 to 60 years for men. During this period, the second most important age crisis sets in - which is especially pronounced in women. Menopause is associated with the extinction of the functions of the sex glands and the restructuring of a number of hormonal systems of the body. The mental sphere and metabolism are characterized by significant lability.

6. Elderly age- from 55 to 75 years for women and from 60 to 75 years for men.

7. Senile age- over 75 years for women and men. The general involution of the organism begins to develop.

Sometimes it is proposed to allocate a special age of centenarians for persons 90 years of age and older.

Accurate age determination is essential in clinical and forensic practice. Age can be judged on the basis of data on height, body weight, number of teeth, skin condition. With age, wrinkles appear on the face of a person. By the age of 20 - frontal and nasolabial, by 25 years at the outer edges behind the ears, by 30 years - infraorbital, by 40 years - cervical, by 55 years - on the earlobes, hands, chin. However, all these criteria are very relative.

A more accurate method of determining age is to determine (radiologically) the so-called. Its definition is based on patterns in ossification associated with age periods. So, for example, ossification points in the distal epiphysis of the radius appear at 12-14 months. in girls and at 16-18 months. in boys. in the distal epiphysis of the ulna at the age of 19 and 20, respectively. As a rule, a snapshot of the hand and distal bones is used to determine bone age. Knowing the time of appearance of ossification points and synostoses, it is possible to determine the age of a person with a high degree of accuracy.

Age periods in children. The period of childhood is characterized by the constant development and growth of the child's body. There is no strict line between the individual stages of development.

Childhood is preceded by a period in which the stage of embryonic development (the first 3 months) and the stage of placental development (from the 3rd to the 9th month) are distinguished.

The extrauterine period of development is divided into several periods: 1) newborns, lasting up to 4 weeks of life; 2) infancy, lasting from 4 weeks to 1 year; 3) pre-preschool, or nursery - from 1 year to 3 years; 4) preschool (kindergarten period) - from 3 to 7 years; 5) junior school - from 7 to 12 years; 6) senior school (adolescent, or puberty) - from 12 to 18 years (see above).

The neonatal period is characterized by incomplete development of all organs and systems. During this period, the child's body adapts to environmental conditions. Insufficient functional ability of various organs is the cause of the development of a number of disorders in which it is difficult to distinguish between physiological and pathological conditions (physiological and physiological weight loss and others). The newborn is extremely susceptible to coccal infection, which requires maximum care in the care of a child of this age (see).

Breast age. The period of infancy is characterized by the intensity of growth and development of the child's body, which causes a relatively large need for high-calorie food and requires proper nutrition. If the quality and quantity of food are violated, eating disorders are possible and. Due to the relative functional weakness of the digestive organs, the child eats mainly dairy food. During this period, the child is also helpless and requires special care.

In an infant, the first signaling system is formed. Children begin to recognize objects and faces orient themselves in the environment.

Rapid exhaustion of the central nervous system. requires a large number of hours of sleep and proper alternation of sleep and wakefulness.

The weakness of immunobiological defense mechanisms makes children in the first months of life more susceptible to septic processes. At 2-5 months. the child is most vulnerable to infections due to a decrease in passive and insufficient production of active acquired immunity. In infancy, the manifestation of constitutional anomalies is characteristic, most often exudative-catarrhal diathesis (see).

preschool age in its biological characteristics, it has common features with infancy and preschool age. By the end of the first year, especially after two years, it develops intensively. At this age, appropriate organizational measures are required to ensure the correct regimen, education, sufficient rest and further development of the child. In preschool age, acute infections become more frequent mainly due to insufficient production of active immunity. This requires a timely child, as well as measures to protect the child from infection.

preschool age characterized by high mobility of the child, his activity. Children are much more involved in sports activities.

In this period of childhood, it is especially important to properly organize outdoor games, manual labor, etc. When developing a daily routine, especially organizing walks, it must be remembered that the child gets tired very quickly with slow non-stop walking. At preschool age, domestic and street injuries become more frequent; the incidence of acute infections increases significantly.

Junior school age characterized by increased development of muscles, but the growth of the child slows down somewhat. The child develops in the school community and lives by its interests. Physical education classes should be organized so that they do not tire the child, but contribute to an increase in metabolic processes and the functions of all body systems.

With a significant school load, improper organization of sleep and rest, the development of neurotic reactions is possible. Primary school age is characterized by a high incidence of acute infections, diseases that are rare in preschool age (functional cardiovascular disorders, and others) appear.

senior school age. Physiologically, it is characterized by the maturation of the gonads. sex glands dramatically change the course of all life processes and affect the functional state of the nervous system. In adolescents, a number of shifts occur in (pulse instability, etc.).

Uneven mood, increased irritability, fatigue are also noted. In adolescence, the morphological and physiological features that distinguish a child from an adult gradually smooth out and disappear. The course of diseases acquires clinical features characteristic of adults. See also .

In early youth, the expression "ladies of Balzac's age" sounds to us as a delicate or, on the contrary, a sarcastic allusion to female old age. Where did this phrase come from and what does it really mean?

Visitors to Internet forums sometimes argue on the topic: "How much is Balzac's age?" As a rule, ladies insist that this definition refers to the age of 30-40 years. For the most part, men believe that a woman of “Balzac age” is much older: from 40 and older.

The difference in the interpretation of the meaning of this expression is determined by how modern people perceive the concept of "maturity".

So, "Balzac age" is how much?

Some of our contemporaries, by the simplicity of their souls, are deeply convinced that a "woman of Balzac's age" is a lady who is the same age as the young Honore's first mistress.

Today, when young people no longer read the classics, preferring at best to get acquainted with an adapted presentation of the main storyline in an abbreviated version, the question “Balzac’s age is how old?” Causes lively debate. publication of articles about the turbulent personal life of the writer. In pursuit of fried facts, unscrupulous "experts" are in no hurry to verify the authenticity of information. Some argue that Balzac in his youth had an affair with a woman of 42 years old, others insist that she was 53 years old. Consequently, confusion arises in attempts to define the concept of "Balzac age". How much is it: 42 or 53? But neither one nor the other is wrong.

A bit of history

In 1842, Honore de Balzac published a work called The Thirty-Year-Old Woman. This novel about the sublime feeling of "forbidden love", which was opposed to the primitive coexistence in legal marriage, evoked a response in society and multiplied the author's popularity.

Nowadays, few people would think of calling a thirty-year-old woman old. Statistical studies of recent years confirm the fact that it is at this time that women become the sexiest, and the ability to take care of themselves, combined with the ability to lead an active lifestyle, make our contemporaries irresistible even at a much more mature age.

But do not forget that in the Balzac era, a woman was a disenfranchised creature, and her life took place in a closed space between the kitchen, children and church. Only a successful marriage could bring happiness to a woman. The girl was considered a promising bride only until the age of 18-19. At the age of 20 and older, the chances of getting married decreased significantly. And an unmarried thirty-year-old woman was of little interest at all, her life dragged on monotonously under the slogan: “to marry is too late, to die is too early.”

But rarely anyone was happy. Since the most significant issue was financial, the bride most often remained nothing more than a convenient multifunctional appendix to the contract. Without the right to her own opinion, the wife became a living toy in the hands of her husband.

A married woman of thirty was considered a deep old woman, although she could well shine at balls, emphasizing the loftiness of her husband. She was allowed to be attractive and at the same time inaccessible to other men. A good upbringing, a broad outlook, a natural mind, a versatile education and the sad need to be the property of an elderly husband who does not care about satisfying the sexual, emotional and spiritual needs of his wife - such is the fate of Balzac's heroine.

Thus, to the question “Balzac’s age is how much?” The correct answer is after thirty. It was these women that Honore de Balzac liked. At the age of 30, according to the writer, a woman matured bodily and spiritually for harmonious but, unfortunately, in the conditions of a vicious bourgeois society, she was forced to grow old and fade prematurely in a legal marriage with an unloved husband or, under fear of exposure, lead a double life.