"Balzakovsky age" - a popular expression which is often given an ironical, comic shade. Usually this phrase is applied to women aged from thirty up to forty years.
History
Expression "balzakovsky age" became well-known after in 1831 the novel "Thirty-year-old Woman" - the famous work by the French writer, one of founders of realism in the French literature Honoré de Balzac was born.
This novel sometimes meets as "The woman in thirty years" - more rare variant of translation of the name.
In the first years after the publication of the work this expression was used in an ironical key in relation to the women having similarities to the heroine of the novel or seeking to become similar to it. Eventually this value was forgotten, and, speaking about balzakovsky age, began to mean only a certain age framework – from thirty to forty years.
Expression "balzakovsky age" is traditionally applied only in relation to the woman. It is not accepted to designate thus age of the man.
Balzakovsky woman
Together with "balzakovsky age" the broad use included expression "the balzakovsky woman" by which call both middle-aged ladies, and the persons similar to the heroine of the novel of Honoré de Balzac. This is the middle-aged woman who kept appeal or is slightly more senior, having success with an opposite sex and often showing an initiative at acquaintance. Men should remember that "the balzakovsky age" was assigned to expression a comic, comic, ironic shade of value. At the time of Honoré de Balzac the ladies entered the period, so to speak, blossoming approximately in fourteen years, and in thirty preferred not to tell about the age any more. It is possible for this reason now there is a delusion that "the balzakovsky age" means a modern pre-retirement or retirement age of the woman. So it is necessary to use this expression with care, not in the presence of ladies, and sometimes it is better to refuse it in general. There is one more value of this expression which appeared already now. Also understand a peculiar transition period in the woman's life as the age after 30 is perceived by many as a boundary after which it is necessary to sum up the small result as balzakovsky age and to pass to the next stage of the life. Also there is a peculiar trend – after 30 years there comes the crisis based on belief that these years the woman already has to have a certain status, certain experience, and time of opening and external and spiritual blossoming remained behind.