MONARCH: the Big Bear of Tallac, by Ernest Thompson Seton

MONARCH: the Big Bear of Tallac, by Ernest Thompson Seton

Ernest Thompson Seton's book, "Monarch, the Big Bear of Tallac." Published in 1919, it tells the story of a tiny Grizzly cub who grew to be the Monarch of the Plains -- and the Prisoner of humanity's arrogance. "Kind memory calls the picture up before me now, clear, living clear: I see them as they sat, the one small and slight, the other tall and brawny, leader and led, rough men of the hills. They told me this tale--in broken bits they gave it, a sentence at a time. ... They told of the river at our feet: of its rise, a thread-like rill, afar on Tallac's side, and its growth--a brook, a stream, a little river, a river, a mighty flood that rolled and ran from hills to plain to meet a final doom so strange that only the wise believe. ... reverencing the indomitable spirit of the mountaineer, worshiping the mighty Beast that nature built a monument of power, and loving and worshiping the clash, the awful strife heroic, at the close, when these two met." - Ernest Thompson Seton

Episodes

July 9, 2009 2 mins

If you liked this book, here are some other books you might like. Thanks for listening!

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Part 16 -- "Landlocked." The story ends as stories end. Not with a bang.
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Part 15 -- "The Foaming Flood." Kellyan and Bonamy set more traps -- but this time with something extra. Theme: Pachelbel's "Canon in D" performed by Owen Poteat.
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February 25, 2009 16 mins
Part 14 -- "The Cataract." Many Grizzlies acquire a taste for beef and mutton, and make names for themselves. One becomes the Monarch of the Plain, worth a King's ransom. Theme: Pachelbel's "Canon in D" performed by Owen Poteat.
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Part 13 -- "The Deepening Channel." Romance finds Gringo. Gringo finds revenge. Theme: Pachelbel's "Canon in D" performed by Owen Poteat.
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February 25, 2009 11 mins
Part 12 -- "Swirl and Pool and Growing Flood." Kellyan and Bonamy try traps, and find "Gringo's" biggest weakness. Theme: Pachelbel's "Canon in D" performed by Owen Poteat.
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Part 11 -- "The Ford." A cowboy meets a full-grown grizzly on a trail, and lives to tell about it. Theme: Pachelbel's "Canon in D" performed by Owen Poteat.
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February 25, 2009 11 mins
Part 10 -- "The Eddy." Kellyan and Bonamy once again try hunting "The Gringo," and occasionally, "The Gringo" hunts them right back -- but neither quite kills the other. Theme: Pachelbel's "Canon in D" performed by Owen Poteat.
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February 25, 2009 7 mins
Part 9 -- "Fire and Water." Kellyan has another try at Jack, and almost gets them both killed in the process. Theme: Pachelbel's "Canon in D" performed by Owen Poteat.
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February 25, 2009 9 mins
Part 8 -- "Roaring in the Canon." Jack has become a Giant Sheep-herder. Pedro seeks the help of Jack's old friend, Lan Kellyan. Lan takes Jack's sheep, and tries to take Jack -- not knowing it's Jack. Theme: Pachelbel's "Canon in D" performed by Owen Poteat.
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February 25, 2009 7 mins
Part 7 -- "The Freshet." Jack comes back for more sheep. The sheep-herder, Pedro Tampico, gets a mistaken impression of Jack. Theme: Pachelbel's "Canon in D" performed by Owen Poteat.
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February 25, 2009 6 mins
Part 6 -- "The Broken Dam." Jack heads for the hills. He learns to like the taste of sheep. The sheep-herder doesn't approve. Jack is mostly untroubled by this. Theme: Pachelbel's "Canon in D" performed by Owen Poteat.
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February 25, 2009 14 mins
Part 5 -- "The River Held in the Foothills." Jack's captors torment and torture him, and he fights back. Jack shows his protective side. Then, Jack celebrates Independence Day. Theme: Pachelbel's "Canon in D" performed by Owen Poteat.
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February 25, 2009 8 mins
Part 4 -- "The Stream that Sank in the Sand." Jack and Jill have a little fun, and lose their home for it. Jack gains a new home. Theme: Pachelbel's "Canon in D" performed by Owen Poteat.
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February 25, 2009 5 mins
Part 3 -- "The Trout Pool." Jack teaches an old dog a new trick. The dog is not amused. Theme: Pachelbel's "Canon in D" performed by Owen Poteat.
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February 25, 2009 7 mins
Part 2 -- "The Springs and the Miner's Dam." The two youngsters become Jack and Jill. Jack becomes a pet. Jill becomes a problem. Jack comes tumbling down. Theme: Pachelbel's "Canon in D" performed by Owen Poteat.
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February 25, 2009 13 mins
Ernest Thompson Seton's book, "Monarch, the Big Bear of Tallac." Published in 1919, it tells the story of a Grizzly who ended up in a cage in Golden Gate Park, and the people who knew him. Dedication, Forward, and Part 1 -- "The Two Springs." We meet two very young grizzlies, their Mother ... and a hunter. Theme: Pachelbel's "Canon in D" performed by Owen Poteat, with additional music provided by Kevin MacLeod.
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