" Apropos of this, I asked my father one day whether it would be possible for me to see Mme. de Stael. My father, mother, and Alphonse all burst out laughing, and Alphonse said: “Where in the world has she sprung from?” To which my father replied: “What fools we are! She springs from the Carmelites.” “My child, Mme. de Stael is dead,” said my mother gently. "

― Honoré de Balzac , Works of Honore de Balzac