Abstract: Ursule Mirouët, ward of Dr. Denis Minoret, is caught up in the turmoil of personal interests and the greed aroused by the details of his last will and testament. However, a love story triumphs over the tyranny of money thanks to religious forces: dreams and supernatural phenomena reflect Balzac’s interest in magnetism.
Keyword: La Comédie humaine, Scènes de la vie de province, religion, magnetism, Providence, realism, romantism, serial novel, Study of human nature, nineteenth century literature
