 Balzac uses meticulous , abundant detail to describe the Maison Vauquer , its inhabitants , and the world around them ; this technique gave rise to his title as the father of the realist novel . The details focus mostly on the penury of the residents of the Maison Vauquer . Much less intricate are the descriptions of wealthier homes ; Madame de Beauséant 's rooms are given scant attention , and the Nucingen family lives in a house sketched in the briefest detail . 
