Elisabeth Piedmont-Marton teaches American literature and directs the writing center at Southwestern University in Texas. She writes frequently about the modern short story. In this essay, Piedmont- Marton discusses how Dr. Bianchon's narrative is driven by a cycle of seduction and betrayal.

The last lines in "La Grande Bretèche" close the frame of the narrative by returning to the scene of the dinner party where the narrator, Dr. Bianchon, has graciously complied with requests to tell one of his infamous tales. In the closing lines of the story, an omniscient narrator intrudes to mention that at the conclusion of Bianchon's tale "all the ladies rose from the table," and "some among them . . . had almost shivered at the last words." As readers of Balzac's tale, we are also present, by proxy, at that table. Even as we rise from our seats at the "table," however, questions...