Ranking among the great masters of the novel, Balzac was a French writer regarded as one of the founders of realism in literature. His magnum opus was a vast collection of novels and short stories collectively titled La Comédie humaine—The Human Comedy—which presents a panorama of the French society of his time, picturing in precise detail characters from every class and every profession. Balzac’s work habits are legendary. How long was he said to write during a single stretch? Discuss