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But now, as he tries to continue climbing the ladder, he finds himself entangled in a treacherous financial web. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74372349</guid><pubDate>Thu, 20 Aug 2026 09:08:41 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74372349/armand_durand_rosanna_eleanor_leprohon.mp3" length="221955412" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“Rise and Fall of César Birotteau” (1837) is part of Balzac’s great novel series titled “The Human Comedy.” The story is set in Paris, in the years following the restoration of the monarchy after the Napoleonic era. 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But now, as he tries to continue climbing the ladder, he finds himself entangled in a treacherous financial web. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>27717</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/99515a21061c4132fe848fc453ab3446.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Universal Religion Bahaism - Its Rise and Social Import-Hippolyte Dreyfus-Barney</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/universal-religion-bahaism-its-rise-and-social-import-hippolyte-dreyfus-barney--74333129</link><description><![CDATA[“Rise and Fall of César Birotteau” (1837) is part of Balzac’s great novel series titled “The Human Comedy.” The story is set in Paris, in the years following the restoration of the monarchy after the Napoleonic era. The masters of the old society — the aristocracy and the church — had been overtaken by a newly energized middle class, with its merchants, landlords, lawyers, and bankers. French society found itself in a new world of financial adventurism, floating on a sea of credit and speculation. César Birotteau, a good-hearted and harmless man, has worked his way up from humble beginnings and earned community respect and commercial success as a perfumer. But now, as he tries to continue climbing the ladder, he finds himself entangled in a treacherous financial web. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74333129</guid><pubDate>Wed, 19 Aug 2026 18:59:18 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74333129/universal_religion_bahaism_its_rise_and_social_import_hippolyte_dreyfus_barney.mp3" length="86949629" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“Rise and Fall of César Birotteau” (1837) is part of Balzac’s great novel series titled “The Human Comedy.” The story is set in Paris, in the years following the restoration of the monarchy after the Napoleonic era. 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But now, as he tries to continue climbing the ladder, he finds himself entangled in a treacherous financial web. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>10858</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/99515a21061c4132fe848fc453ab3446.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Burston Rebellion-Thomas George Higdon</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/burston-rebellion-thomas-george-higdon--74189932</link><description><![CDATA[“Rise and Fall of César Birotteau” (1837) is part of Balzac’s great novel series titled “The Human Comedy.” The story is set in Paris, in the years following the restoration of the monarchy after the Napoleonic era. 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But now, as he tries to continue climbing the ladder, he finds himself entangled in a treacherous financial web. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74189932</guid><pubDate>Tue, 18 Aug 2026 09:08:34 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74189932/19136_burston_rebellion_thomas_george_higdon.mp3" length="108343335" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“Rise and Fall of César Birotteau” (1837) is part of Balzac’s great novel series titled “The Human Comedy.” The story is set in Paris, in the years following the restoration of the monarchy after the Napoleonic era. 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But now, as he tries to continue climbing the ladder, he finds himself entangled in a treacherous financial web. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>13529</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/99515a21061c4132fe848fc453ab3446.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Point of Honor-Joseph Conrad</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/point-of-honor-joseph-conrad--74143091</link><description><![CDATA[“Rise and Fall of César Birotteau” (1837) is part of Balzac’s great novel series titled “The Human Comedy.” The story is set in Paris, in the years following the restoration of the monarchy after the Napoleonic era. The masters of the old society — the aristocracy and the church — had been overtaken by a newly energized middle class, with its merchants, landlords, lawyers, and bankers. 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But now, as he tries to continue climbing the ladder, he finds himself entangled in a treacherous financial web. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></description><guid isPermaLink="false">https://api.spreaker.com/episode/74143091</guid><pubDate>Mon, 17 Aug 2026 09:08:34 +0000</pubDate><enclosure url="https://dts.podtrac.com/redirect.mp3/api.spreaker.com/download/episode/74143091/point_of_honor_joseph_conrad.mp3" length="100852841" type="audio/mpeg"/><itunes:author>Honoré de Balzac</itunes:author><itunes:subtitle>“Rise and Fall of César Birotteau” (1837) is part of Balzac’s great novel series titled “The Human Comedy.” The story is set in Paris, in the years following the restoration of the monarchy after the Napoleonic era. 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But now, as he tries to continue climbing the ladder, he finds himself entangled in a treacherous financial web. - Summary by Bruce Pirie]]></itunes:summary><itunes:duration>12594</itunes:duration><itunes:explicit>false</itunes:explicit><itunes:image href="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/t_rss_itunes_square_1400/images.spreaker.com/original/99515a21061c4132fe848fc453ab3446.jpg"/><itunes:episodeType>full</itunes:episodeType></item><item><title>Diatessaron A Harmony of the Four Gospels-Tatian</title><link>https://www.spreaker.com/episode/diatessaron-a-harmony-of-the-four-gospels-tatian--74105730</link><description><![CDATA[“Rise and Fall of César Birotteau” (1837) is part of Balzac’s great novel series titled “The Human Comedy.” The story is set in Paris, in the years following the restoration of the monarchy after the Napoleonic era. 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