as depicted by the upbringing of Ursule Mirouët by four men: her half-uncle-in-law (an atheist and republican), the local priest (saintly), the district judge (learned) and a retired soldier (worldly). We are left in no doubt that it is the second option that produces what Balzac considers to be the ideal woman. Ursula is pious and prone to collapsing in tears at the slightest emotion. Women, society and sex The representation of women in the Comédie humaine is extremely varied — spanning material from both the romantic and pulp traditions — and includes idealized women (like Pauline in La Peau de chagrin or Eugénie Grandet), the tragic prostitute Esther Gobsek (Splendeurs et misères des courtisanes), the worldly daughters of Goriot and other women in society who can help their lovers advance, the masculine and domineering Cousine Bette, and the alluring and impossible love object (Foedora in La Peau de chagrin or the heroine of La fille aux yeux d'or). The latter category also includes several lesbian or bisexual characters. Structure of La Comédie humaine Balzac's final plan (1845) of the Comédie Humaine is as follows (projected works are not included; dates are those of initial publication, whether or not the work was initially conceived as part of the Comédie Humaine): Studies of manners (Études de moeurs) Scenes from private life (Scènes de la vie privée) At the Sign of the Cat and Racket (La Maison du chat-qui-pelote, 1830) The Ball at Sceaux (Le Bal de Sceaux, 1830) Letters of Two Brides (Mémoires de deux jeunes mariées, 1842) The Purse (La Bourse, 1832) Modeste Mignon (1844) A Start in Life (Un début dans la vie, 1845; first published as Le danger des mystifications, 1842) Albert Savarus (1842) The Vendetta (La Vendetta, 1830) A Second Home (Une double famille, 1830) Domestic Bliss (La Paix du ménage, 1830) Madame Firmiani (1832) Study of a Woman (Étude de femme, 1830) The Imaginary Mistress (La fausse maîtresse, 1842, a.k.a. Paz) A Daughter of Eve (Une fille d'Ève, 1838–39) The Message (Le Message, 1832) La Grande Bretèche (1832)La Grenadière (1832)The Deserted Woman (La Femme abandonnée, 1832)Honorine (1843)Béatrix (1839)Gobseck (1830)A Woman of Thirty (La Femme de trente ans, 1832)Old Goriot (le Père Goriot, 1835)Le Colonel Chabert (1844, first published as La transaction, 1832)The Atheist's Mass (La Messe de l'athée, 1836)L'Interdiction (1836, a.k.a. The Commission in Lunacy)A Marriage Contract (Le Contrat de mariage, 1835)Another Study of a Woman