(''An old mistress'') is an 1851 novel by the French writer

Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly Jules-Amédée Barbey d'Aurevilly (2 November 1808 – 23 April 1889) was a French novelist and short story writer. He specialised in mystery tales that explored hidden motivation and hinted at evil without being explicitly concerned with anythin ...

. It tells the story of a wayward

dandy A dandy is a man who places particular importance upon physical appearance, refined language, and leisurely hobbies, pursued with the appearance of nonchalance. A dandy could be a self-made man who strove to imitate an aristocratic lifestyle desp ...

who falls in love with a young woman but is unable to fully leave his former mistress behind. The book was published by Alexandre Cadot in three volumes, with 327, 316 and 341 pages respectively. It was the basis for the 2007 film ''

The Last Mistress ''The Last Mistress'' (french: link=no, Une vieille maîtresse, literally "An old mistress") is a 2007 French-Italian film based on the novel '' Une vieille maîtresse'' by the French writer Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly. It stars Asia Argento and Fu' ...

'' directed by

Catherine Breillat Catherine Breillat (; born 13 July 1948) is a French filmmaker, novelist and professor of auteur cinema at the European Graduate School. In the film business for over 40 years, Catherine Breillat chooses to normalize previously taboo subjects in ...

References

1851 French novels French novels adapted into films French-language novels Novels by Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly {{Jules Barbey d'Aurevilly