A Balzacian story is realistic, emphasizing tiny details to capture a scene or setting. It might also, as Balzac did in novels including "Le Père Goriot," or "Old Goriot," use a cast of dozens of characters, some of them taken from earlier works. Some classic Balzacian themes include society, class, and status — in Balzac's case: particularly the way these social structures worked in nineteenth century Paris.