Épisodes

  • Commission in Lunacy-Honoré de Balzac

    Commission in Lunacy-Honoré de Balzac
    Aug 25 2026
    This novella was first published in French in 1830, with the title “La femme vertueuse” (“The virtuous woman”). In an 1842 edition, the title was changed to “Une double famille” (“A double family”). For Balzac, success in marital relations depended on partners being well matched both in temperament and in social class. In this story, a young lawyer marries a childhood friend, only to discover too late that she has become narrow-mindedly religious. She is described as a “bigot.” (In French, the word specifically suggests religious prudery more than it does in English.) To escape the sanctimonious chill of this marital home, the lawyer sets up an impoverished seamstress as his mistress. The story explores the plight of women and the pathology of marriage. - Summary by Bruce Pirie
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    3 h et 36 min
  • Poems of William Blake-William Blake

    Poems of William Blake-William Blake
    Aug 24 2026
    This novella was first published in French in 1830, with the title “La femme vertueuse” (“The virtuous woman”). In an 1842 edition, the title was changed to “Une double famille” (“A double family”). For Balzac, success in marital relations depended on partners being well matched both in temperament and in social class. In this story, a young lawyer marries a childhood friend, only to discover too late that she has become narrow-mindedly religious. She is described as a “bigot.” (In French, the word specifically suggests religious prudery more than it does in English.) To escape the sanctimonious chill of this marital home, the lawyer sets up an impoverished seamstress as his mistress. The story explores the plight of women and the pathology of marriage. - Summary by Bruce Pirie
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    55 min
  • Colonel Chabert (Version 2)-Honoré de Balzac

    Colonel Chabert (Version 2)-Honoré de Balzac
    Aug 23 2026
    This novella was first published in French in 1830, with the title “La femme vertueuse” (“The virtuous woman”). In an 1842 edition, the title was changed to “Une double famille” (“A double family”). For Balzac, success in marital relations depended on partners being well matched both in temperament and in social class. In this story, a young lawyer marries a childhood friend, only to discover too late that she has become narrow-mindedly religious. She is described as a “bigot.” (In French, the word specifically suggests religious prudery more than it does in English.) To escape the sanctimonious chill of this marital home, the lawyer sets up an impoverished seamstress as his mistress. The story explores the plight of women and the pathology of marriage. - Summary by Bruce Pirie
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    3 h et 2 min
  • Eugénie Grandet-Honoré de Balzac

    Eugénie Grandet-Honoré de Balzac
    Aug 22 2026
    This novella was first published in French in 1830, with the title “La femme vertueuse” (“The virtuous woman”). In an 1842 edition, the title was changed to “Une double famille” (“A double family”). For Balzac, success in marital relations depended on partners being well matched both in temperament and in social class. In this story, a young lawyer marries a childhood friend, only to discover too late that she has become narrow-mindedly religious. She is described as a “bigot.” (In French, the word specifically suggests religious prudery more than it does in English.) To escape the sanctimonious chill of this marital home, the lawyer sets up an impoverished seamstress as his mistress. The story explores the plight of women and the pathology of marriage. - Summary by Bruce Pirie
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    7 h et 17 min
  • Fate of Fenella-Various

    Fate of Fenella-Various
    Aug 21 2026
    This novella was first published in French in 1830, with the title “La femme vertueuse” (“The virtuous woman”). In an 1842 edition, the title was changed to “Une double famille” (“A double family”). For Balzac, success in marital relations depended on partners being well matched both in temperament and in social class. In this story, a young lawyer marries a childhood friend, only to discover too late that she has become narrow-mindedly religious. She is described as a “bigot.” (In French, the word specifically suggests religious prudery more than it does in English.) To escape the sanctimonious chill of this marital home, the lawyer sets up an impoverished seamstress as his mistress. The story explores the plight of women and the pathology of marriage. - Summary by Bruce Pirie
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    7 h et 24 min
  • Sexes in Science and History-Eliza Burt Gamble

    Sexes in Science and History-Eliza Burt Gamble
    Aug 20 2026
    This novella was first published in French in 1830, with the title “La femme vertueuse” (“The virtuous woman”). In an 1842 edition, the title was changed to “Une double famille” (“A double family”). For Balzac, success in marital relations depended on partners being well matched both in temperament and in social class. In this story, a young lawyer marries a childhood friend, only to discover too late that she has become narrow-mindedly religious. She is described as a “bigot.” (In French, the word specifically suggests religious prudery more than it does in English.) To escape the sanctimonious chill of this marital home, the lawyer sets up an impoverished seamstress as his mistress. The story explores the plight of women and the pathology of marriage. - Summary by Bruce Pirie
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    9 h et 29 min
  • Joseph in the Snow, and The Clockmaker. Vol. III-Berthold Auerbach

    Joseph in the Snow, and The Clockmaker. Vol. III-Berthold Auerbach
    Aug 19 2026
    This novella was first published in French in 1830, with the title “La femme vertueuse” (“The virtuous woman”). In an 1842 edition, the title was changed to “Une double famille” (“A double family”). For Balzac, success in marital relations depended on partners being well matched both in temperament and in social class. In this story, a young lawyer marries a childhood friend, only to discover too late that she has become narrow-mindedly religious. She is described as a “bigot.” (In French, the word specifically suggests religious prudery more than it does in English.) To escape the sanctimonious chill of this marital home, the lawyer sets up an impoverished seamstress as his mistress. The story explores the plight of women and the pathology of marriage. - Summary by Bruce Pirie
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    5 h et 18 min
  • Running Water-A. E. W. Mason

    Running Water-A. E. W. Mason
    Aug 18 2026
    This novella was first published in French in 1830, with the title “La femme vertueuse” (“The virtuous woman”). In an 1842 edition, the title was changed to “Une double famille” (“A double family”). For Balzac, success in marital relations depended on partners being well matched both in temperament and in social class. In this story, a young lawyer marries a childhood friend, only to discover too late that she has become narrow-mindedly religious. She is described as a “bigot.” (In French, the word specifically suggests religious prudery more than it does in English.) To escape the sanctimonious chill of this marital home, the lawyer sets up an impoverished seamstress as his mistress. The story explores the plight of women and the pathology of marriage. - Summary by Bruce Pirie
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    8 h et 38 min