Episodes

  • 021 - Showing how difficult it is to steal that which seems very easily stolen

    021 - Showing how difficult it is to steal that which seems very easily stolen
    Feb 21 2026
    First published in French in 1841 as Ursule Mirouët, Ursula is a captivating part of Balzac’s monumental series, The Human Comedy. The story revolves around a wealthy, elderly doctor who has raised his goddaughter, the daughter of his deceased brother-in-law, an illegitimate man himself. As the doctor retires to a provincial town filled with relatives vying for a share of his fortune, the tension rises. These relatives, driven by greed and entitlement under the stringent French inheritance laws of the time, represent a stark contrast to the beloved goddaughter, who has no legal claim to his wealth. Adding an intriguing layer to the narrative is Balzacs fascination with occult spiritualism, drawing on themes of mesmerism and the mystical ideas of Emanuel Swedenborg. While modern readers may dismiss the novels supernatural elements, they were significant to Balzac and his contemporaries, illustrating the intertwined nature of the spiritual and material worlds. Balzac himself regarded this work as his finest achievement up to that point in his career. - Summary by Bruce Pirie
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    27 mins
  • 020 - Remorse

    020 - Remorse
    Feb 21 2026
    First published in French in 1841 as Ursule Mirouët, Ursula is a captivating part of Balzac’s monumental series, The Human Comedy. The story revolves around a wealthy, elderly doctor who has raised his goddaughter, the daughter of his deceased brother-in-law, an illegitimate man himself. As the doctor retires to a provincial town filled with relatives vying for a share of his fortune, the tension rises. These relatives, driven by greed and entitlement under the stringent French inheritance laws of the time, represent a stark contrast to the beloved goddaughter, who has no legal claim to his wealth. Adding an intriguing layer to the narrative is Balzacs fascination with occult spiritualism, drawing on themes of mesmerism and the mystical ideas of Emanuel Swedenborg. While modern readers may dismiss the novels supernatural elements, they were significant to Balzac and his contemporaries, illustrating the intertwined nature of the spiritual and material worlds. Balzac himself regarded this work as his finest achievement up to that point in his career. - Summary by Bruce Pirie
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    19 mins
  • 019 - Apparitions

    019 - Apparitions
    Feb 21 2026
    First published in French in 1841 as Ursule Mirouët, Ursula is a captivating part of Balzac’s monumental series, The Human Comedy. The story revolves around a wealthy, elderly doctor who has raised his goddaughter, the daughter of his deceased brother-in-law, an illegitimate man himself. As the doctor retires to a provincial town filled with relatives vying for a share of his fortune, the tension rises. These relatives, driven by greed and entitlement under the stringent French inheritance laws of the time, represent a stark contrast to the beloved goddaughter, who has no legal claim to his wealth. Adding an intriguing layer to the narrative is Balzacs fascination with occult spiritualism, drawing on themes of mesmerism and the mystical ideas of Emanuel Swedenborg. While modern readers may dismiss the novels supernatural elements, they were significant to Balzac and his contemporaries, illustrating the intertwined nature of the spiritual and material worlds. Balzac himself regarded this work as his finest achievement up to that point in his career. - Summary by Bruce Pirie
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    40 mins
  • 018 - A two-fold vengeance

    018 - A two-fold vengeance
    Feb 21 2026
    First published in French in 1841 as Ursule Mirouët, Ursula is a captivating part of Balzac’s monumental series, The Human Comedy. The story revolves around a wealthy, elderly doctor who has raised his goddaughter, the daughter of his deceased brother-in-law, an illegitimate man himself. As the doctor retires to a provincial town filled with relatives vying for a share of his fortune, the tension rises. These relatives, driven by greed and entitlement under the stringent French inheritance laws of the time, represent a stark contrast to the beloved goddaughter, who has no legal claim to his wealth. Adding an intriguing layer to the narrative is Balzacs fascination with occult spiritualism, drawing on themes of mesmerism and the mystical ideas of Emanuel Swedenborg. While modern readers may dismiss the novels supernatural elements, they were significant to Balzac and his contemporaries, illustrating the intertwined nature of the spiritual and material worlds. Balzac himself regarded this work as his finest achievement up to that point in his career. - Summary by Bruce Pirie
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    32 mins
  • 017 - The malignity of provincial minds

    017 - The malignity of provincial minds
    Feb 21 2026
    First published in French in 1841 as Ursule Mirouët, Ursula is a captivating part of Balzac’s monumental series, The Human Comedy. The story revolves around a wealthy, elderly doctor who has raised his goddaughter, the daughter of his deceased brother-in-law, an illegitimate man himself. As the doctor retires to a provincial town filled with relatives vying for a share of his fortune, the tension rises. These relatives, driven by greed and entitlement under the stringent French inheritance laws of the time, represent a stark contrast to the beloved goddaughter, who has no legal claim to his wealth. Adding an intriguing layer to the narrative is Balzacs fascination with occult spiritualism, drawing on themes of mesmerism and the mystical ideas of Emanuel Swedenborg. While modern readers may dismiss the novels supernatural elements, they were significant to Balzac and his contemporaries, illustrating the intertwined nature of the spiritual and material worlds. Balzac himself regarded this work as his finest achievement up to that point in his career. - Summary by Bruce Pirie
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    36 mins
  • 016 - The two adversaries

    016 - The two adversaries
    Feb 21 2026
    First published in French in 1841 as Ursule Mirouët, Ursula is a captivating part of Balzac’s monumental series, The Human Comedy. The story revolves around a wealthy, elderly doctor who has raised his goddaughter, the daughter of his deceased brother-in-law, an illegitimate man himself. As the doctor retires to a provincial town filled with relatives vying for a share of his fortune, the tension rises. These relatives, driven by greed and entitlement under the stringent French inheritance laws of the time, represent a stark contrast to the beloved goddaughter, who has no legal claim to his wealth. Adding an intriguing layer to the narrative is Balzacs fascination with occult spiritualism, drawing on themes of mesmerism and the mystical ideas of Emanuel Swedenborg. While modern readers may dismiss the novels supernatural elements, they were significant to Balzac and his contemporaries, illustrating the intertwined nature of the spiritual and material worlds. Balzac himself regarded this work as his finest achievement up to that point in his career. - Summary by Bruce Pirie
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    21 mins
  • 015 - The doctor's will

    015 - The doctor's will
    Feb 21 2026
    First published in French in 1841 as Ursule Mirouët, Ursula is a captivating part of Balzac’s monumental series, The Human Comedy. The story revolves around a wealthy, elderly doctor who has raised his goddaughter, the daughter of his deceased brother-in-law, an illegitimate man himself. As the doctor retires to a provincial town filled with relatives vying for a share of his fortune, the tension rises. These relatives, driven by greed and entitlement under the stringent French inheritance laws of the time, represent a stark contrast to the beloved goddaughter, who has no legal claim to his wealth. Adding an intriguing layer to the narrative is Balzacs fascination with occult spiritualism, drawing on themes of mesmerism and the mystical ideas of Emanuel Swedenborg. While modern readers may dismiss the novels supernatural elements, they were significant to Balzac and his contemporaries, illustrating the intertwined nature of the spiritual and material worlds. Balzac himself regarded this work as his finest achievement up to that point in his career. - Summary by Bruce Pirie
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    39 mins
  • 014 - Ursula again orphaned

    014 - Ursula again orphaned
    Feb 21 2026
    First published in French in 1841 as Ursule Mirouët, Ursula is a captivating part of Balzac’s monumental series, The Human Comedy. The story revolves around a wealthy, elderly doctor who has raised his goddaughter, the daughter of his deceased brother-in-law, an illegitimate man himself. As the doctor retires to a provincial town filled with relatives vying for a share of his fortune, the tension rises. These relatives, driven by greed and entitlement under the stringent French inheritance laws of the time, represent a stark contrast to the beloved goddaughter, who has no legal claim to his wealth. Adding an intriguing layer to the narrative is Balzacs fascination with occult spiritualism, drawing on themes of mesmerism and the mystical ideas of Emanuel Swedenborg. While modern readers may dismiss the novels supernatural elements, they were significant to Balzac and his contemporaries, illustrating the intertwined nature of the spiritual and material worlds. Balzac himself regarded this work as his finest achievement up to that point in his career. - Summary by Bruce Pirie
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    23 mins