Best 100 Victorian Era Podcasts

The story of the how the Victorians shaped the world.

Fall asleep with the ultimate comfort bedtime stories: the works of Jane Austen! Each episode we'll read a section of Jane Austen's work aloud in a soothing voice, set to relaxation music, to help you get to sleep. more

Scavenging through the layers of London's delightfully peculiar history.

Swoon-worthy takes you on a captivating journey through the intersection of period drama fashion, filmmaking, and stellar performances. Co-hosted by sisters Carly and Cayla, each episode explores the dynamic relationship between the making of the film and the actors' performances in iconic films and TV series. From the allure of bygone fashion to the nuances of cinematic storytelling, join us as we unravel the threads of history, style, and the magic behind the camera. more

Charles Dickens is one of the most famous writers in history, and his influence can be felt everywhere, from the way we look at the Victorian Era, to the way we celebrate Christmas. But who was the man beneath the myth? more

From the opening passage itself of Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, the reader is drawn into the world of the hero, Pip, who is at that time, seven years old. The author creates an unforgettable atmosphere: the gloom of the graveyard, the melancholy of the orphan boy, the mists rising over the marshes and the terrifying appearance of an escaped convict in chains. Told in first person (one of the only two books that Dickens used this form for, the other being David Copperfield) Great Expectations is a classic coming of age novel, in which we trace the growth and evolution of Pip or Philip Pirrip to give his full name. Pip has lost his parents very early in life and is being brought up by his much older sister and brother-in-law Joe Gargery. His sister is a dominating and shrewish woman, while Joe is an affectionate man. Joe's uncle Mr Pumblechook (another of Dickens' delightfully evocative names) asks Joe to send Pip to the stately mansion Statis House ostensibly to play with the owner Miss Havisham's adopted daughter Estella. This marks the beginning of a life-changing experience for Pip. Miss Havisham is a wealthy eccentric whose twisted agenda is that of taking revenge on the man who jilted her at the altar. Pip is unwittingly drawn into her malevolent schemes. When Pip grows older, Miss Havisham's lawyer Mr Jaggers informs Pip that he has come into a large fortune from an unknown benefactor and that he must move to London and learn to become a 'gentleman.' What follows is a strange and labyrinthine tale of Pip's journey into adulthood. Dickens' wonderful gift for characterization peoples the book with a host of memorable characters and sub-plots. The novel also explores the fears and anxieties of childhood and traces Pip's moral and emotional development and his ambitions as he matures. Estella as the warped creation of a vengeful mind has her own route to traverse. Great Expectations finds Charles Dickens at the peak of his creative powers. The Victorian preoccupation with wealth and social ambition, personal ambition, class distinctions, crime and punishment and how they looked at education and self improvement as a means to rise in society are all vividly portrayed here. There are some delightfully humorous passages throughout the book which add to its flavor and authenticity. As with most of Dickens' work, this is a book to be savored by young and old alike and preferably to be read aloud, as Dickens himself did in his wildly popular public readings. more

This classic tale tells of an orphan, Pip, who through a series of strange circumstances first finds a trade as a blacksmith's apprentice and then learns that he has 'great expectations' of a future inheritance from an anonymous benefactor. He soon learns to live the profligate life of a gentleman as he gradually sheds his associations with the gentle souls of his past, Joe and Biddy. He throws his money at improving the prospects of his roommate and friend Herbert and his heart at an 'ice princess' whose heart will never respond. more

Set in the early 19th Century England, Trapping A Duchess tells the story of formerly affianced couple, whose marriage-to-be ended when Sophie left Andrew humiliated at the altar. The two would be more than pleased to never have to see one another again until they come face to face while rivaling for the affections of two members of the same family.Tempers - and desires - flare as the pair does their best to outwit one another. But fate has other plans, including a seduction that changes everything. more

The Victorian Gaslamp Podcast covers the people, places, and events of the Victorian Era and the 19th Century.

A Pride and Prejudice audiobook performed by 27 actors with gorgeous ambient sounds and music to bring the story to life. Presented over 30 beautiful episodes.This dramatised audiobook is produced by the Australian not-for-profit community theatre company, Ballarat National Theatre. 2021 Webby Award Honoree in the 25th Annual Webby Awards (Limited Series Podcast - Scripted Fiction). more

If you always believed the myths that the Victorians were 'prudish' and 'repressed,' this podcast may inspire you to reconsider! In each episode, host Marisa D discusses a not-so-well-known aspect of life during the Victorian Era (1837 - 1901) that will intrigue and surprise you. more

Middlemarch: A Study of Provincial Life is a novel by George Eliot, the pen name of Mary Anne Evans, later Marian Evans. It is her seventh novel, begun in 1869 and then put aside during the final illness of Thornton Lewes, the son of her companion George Henry Lewes. During the following year Eliot resumed work, fusing together several stories into a coherent whole, and during 1871 72 the novel appeared in serial form. The first one-volume edition was published in 1874, and attracted large sales. Subtitled 'A Study of Provincial Life,' the novel is set in the fictitious Midlands town of Middlemarch during the period 1830 32. It has multiple plots with a large cast of characters, and in addition to its distinct though interlocking narratives it pursues a number of underlying themes, including the status of women, the nature of marriage, idealism and self-interest, religion and hypocrisy, political reform, and education. The pace is leisurely, the tone is mildly didactic (with an authorial voice that occasionally bursts through the narrative), and the canvas is very broad. (Summary by Wikipedia) more

Join us as we 'time travel,' using newspapers, and novels to explore what life was like 160 years ago, In the Victorian Era! Each ~45 minute episode will be host banter, narration of a short story, break down of said short story, for you the 21st century listener, reading the nonfiction section, and then breaking that down, followed by a summary and a relaxing outro. more

Bram Stoker did not invent the vampire story, but he popularized it with his classic 1897 novel. In form Dracula is an epistolary novel, told through a series of journal entries, letters, newspaper articles, and telegrams. It begins with lawyer Jonathan Harker's perilous journey to Castle Dracula in Transylvania, and chronicles the vampire's invasion of England, where he preys upon the lovely Lucy Westenra and Harker's fiancee, Mina. Harker and Mina join forces with lunatic asylum proprieter Dr. Seward, Lucy's fiance Arthur Holmwood, Texas man of action Quincey Morris, and Dutch vampire hunter Dr. Van Helsing to try and defeat their powerful adversary. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett)Cast:Jonathan Harker: mbMina Murray Harker: Elizabeth KlettLucy Westenra: Arielle LipshawDr. Seward: Denny SayersQuincey P. Morris: Eric ZetterlundArthur Holmwood: Brett W. DowneyCutting from The Dailygraph: Kara ShallenbergLog of the Demeter: Chuck BurkeSamuel F. Billington & Son: Katalina WattCarter, Patterson & Co: Robert B.Sister Agatha: AvailleAbraham Van Helsing: RismythThe Pall Mall Gazette: Lucy PerryPatrick Hennessey: Dee WyckoffThe Westminster Gazette: David LawrenceMitchell, Sons, & Candy: Robert B.Rufus Smith Telegrams: Nadine Eckert-BouletAudio edited by: Elizabeth Klett more

Learn more about the Roedde House Museum, a faithfully restored Victorian house museum in the heart of Vancouver, BC, Canada. Listen to our tour guides describe our unique rooms and share their stories about the Roeddes and what life was like in Victorian Vancouver. more

Great Expectations is written in the first person and is virtually a fictional autobiography of 'Pip' from his childhood, through often painful experiences, to adulthood. It charts his progress as he moves from the Kent marshes - his social status radically changed having gained an unknown benefactor - to busy commercial London. The book is richly populated with a variety of extraordinary characters many of whom, unbeknownst to them, have lives that are inextricably linked to the others. It is all there, love, hate, passion, humour, rejection, duplicity, betrayal, a whole gamut of emotions and human strengths and weaknesses . This is one of Dickens most fascinating, and disturbing novels. (Summary by Peter Keeble) more

Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel written by the British author Mary Shelley. Shelley wrote the novel when she was 18 years old. The first edition was published anonymously in London in 1818, and this audiobook is read from that text. Shelley's name appeared on the revised third edition, published in 1831. The title of the novel refers to the scientist, Victor Frankenstein, who learns how to create life and creates a being in the likeness of man, but larger than average and more powerful. In modern popular culture, people have tended to refer to the Creature as 'Frankenstein' (especially in films since 1931), despite this being the name of the scientist, and the creature being unnamed in the book itself. Frankenstein is a novel infused with elements of the Gothic novel and the Romantic movement. It was also a warning against the 'over-reaching' of modern man and the Industrial Revolution, alluded to in the novel's subtitle, The Modern Prometheus. The story has had an influence across literature and popular culture and spawned a complete genre of horror stories and films. It is arguably considered the first fully-realised science fiction novel and raises many issues still relevant to today's society. (Summary from Wikipedia.org, adapted by Cori Samuel.) more

The Chancery Court had jurisdiction over all matters of equity, including administration of estates, the guardianship of orphans, and disputed property disbursement. In Dickens' time, some cases could take years to be settled, changing the lives of those involved.Esther Summerson, a young woman raised in a tough and unloving atmosphere, is unexpectedly requested to be a companion to two teenage orphans, Richard Carstone and Ada Clare, for whom the court has appointed as guardian, John Jarndyce. They take up residence at Mr. Jarndyce's home, Bleak House. The story of their lives and fortunes is the main thrust of the novel, and is related at times through the eyes of Esther, whose gentle point of view gives the reader a different and more intimate perspective.Richard is sure his fortune is 'just around the corner' when the case of Jarndyce-v-Jarndyce, of which he and Ada will be beneficiaries, is settled. He tries his hand at a career or two, but he becomes obsessed with hastening the probate of the willed fortune he feels must soon be theirs. Further difficulties arise when he and Ada fall in love, while he, penniless, continues the quest to bring his case to justice.A scriber of legal documents dies, and from his death, questions arise which unearth secrets that the Jarndyce's neighbour, Lady Dedlock, has kept hidden for years. Inspector Bucket enters the case, and begins investigating the disappearance of Lady Dedlock. In the dirt poor part of London comes a young boy called Joe who claims to 'know noffink' but who has witnessed something very important.Several other colorful characters are wound into the story. Nearly insane Miss Flite, who for years has attended court every day, with her little folder of documents, is ever hopeful of a settlement. Mr. Boythorn is a boisterous friend of Jarndyce who has a vendetta with Sir Leicester Dedlock. The Jellyby Family, invariably on the verge of a disaster, is neglected by their Mother who is obsessed with an overseas project. The Smallweed family is mean and avaricious squeezing money from poor clients. Mr. Skimpole is the childlike captivating friend of Mr. Jarndyce who sees no harm in living off everybody else. Mr. Guppy fawns after Esther, and plots to steal documents with his friend Weevle. Mr. Woodcourt is a gentle surgeon and family friend, who becomes a hero.Since the writing of Bleak House, the property laws of England were changed, and disbursements were thenceforth conducted in court with the object of swiftly coming to a settlement for the benefit of inheritors.(Summary by Mil Nicholson) more

A sportsman who doesn't hunt; a poet who doesn't write; a lover with no one to love; all three are devoted to their cheerful and benevolent leader, Mr. Pickwick. Join him and his friends, Winkle, Snodgrass, and Tupman, as they tour the country in search of adventures, knowledge, and stories. Along the way, they have their share of mishaps, and meet plenty of interesting characters, both the good and the not so good. (Mr. Pickwick's dedicated manservant, Sam Weller, is a scene-stealer sure to delight just about everybody.)You may shed a few tears along the way, but usually of the pleasant sort. This is a mostly lighthearted and humorous tale, with a number of subplots woven in, in Dickens' incomparable style.(Introduction by Debra Lynn) more

Dombey and Son is a novel by the Victorian author Charles Dickens. The story concerns Paul Dombey, the wealthy owner of the shipping company of the book's title, whose dream is to have a son to continue his business. The book begins when his son is born, and Dombey's wife dies shortly after giving birth.As with most of Dickens' work, a number of socially significant themes are to be found in this book. In particular the book deals with the then-prevalent common practice of arranged marriages for financial gain. Other themes to be detected within this work include child cruelty (particularly in Dombey's treatment of Florence), familial relationships, and as ever in Dickens, betrayal and deceit and the consequences thereof. (Wikipedia) more

Bleak House is the ninth novel by Charles Dickens, published in 20 monthly parts between March 1852 and September 1853. It is widely held to be one of Dickens' finest and most complete novels, containing one of the most vast, complex and engaging arrays of minor characters and sub-plots in his entire canon. Dickens tells all of these both through the narrative of the novel's heroine, Esther Summerson, and as an omniscient narrator. Memorable characters include the menacing lawyer Tulkinghorn, the friendly but depressive John Jarndyce and the childish Harold Skimpole. The plot concerns a long-running legal dispute (Jarndyce and Jarndyce) which has far-reaching consequences for all involved. (Summary from Wikipedia) more

The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, better known as The Pickwick Papers, is the first novel by Charles Dickens. Written for publication as a serial, The Pickwick Papers consists of a sequence of loosely-related adventures. Its main literary value and appeal is formed by its numerous unforgettable heroes. Each personage in The Pickwick Papers (just as in many other Dickens' novels) is drawn comically, often with exaggerated features of character. (Wikipedia) more

In the last of the six Palliser novels, the sudden death of his wife, Lady Glencora, leaves Plantagenet Palliser, the Duke of Omnium, finding himself in charge of his three children. The eldest, Lord Silverbridge, has recently been expelled from Oxford; his younger brother, Gerald, is about to enter Cambridge; and the youngest, nineteen-year old Lady Mary, has imprudently formed an attachment to Francis Tregear, who, while certainly a gentleman, unfortunately has no income. Before her death, Glencora knew (and approved) of her daughter's attachment; the Duke, however, does not know of it, and is not at all likely to approve. Mrs. Finn (the former Marie Goesler), who was Glencora's closest friend, learns from Mary of her love for Tregear, and is faced with the question of either keeping silent, thus breaking faith with the Duke (who has entrusted Lady Mary to her care) or telling the Duke, and breaking faith with Mary herself.Somewhat later Lord Silverbridge himself forms an attachment to an unsuitable (because American!) girl. The Duke, whose overriding passions in life are politics and the decimalization of English currency, finds himself facing the problems brought by his children, which now have to be resolved without their mother's help. It is, in short, a novel about the generation gap, and though Trollope would never have used the term, he was obviously familiar with the problem.(Summary Nicholas Clifford)The other Palliser novels are1 - Can You Forgive Her?2 - Phineas Finn, the Irish Member3 - The Eustace Diamonds4 - Phineus Redux5 - The Prime Minister6 - The Duke's Children more

Tess of the d'Urbervilles subtitled, 'A Pure Woman,' is the story of a young working woman named Tess Durbeyfield who is sent by her father to visit wealthy relatives. Her encounter with Alec d'Urberville changes her life forever, and brings about a doom that no one could have foreseen. (Summary by Alisson Veldhuis)Files edited by TriciaG & Cody Russell more

Doctor Thorne is the third of Trollope's Barsetshire novels, and unlike some of the others, has little to do with the politics and personalities of the Church of England, or politics on the national level (though there is lots of politicking in the mythical county of Barsetshire itself). The plot revolves around the illegitimate Mary Thorne, who has been lovingly raised by her uncle, a country doctor, and who, as she comes of age, finds herself wondering whether she is a lady (in the county sense of the term). Frank Gresham, son of the squire of Greshamsbury, is in love with her (much against the wishes of his noble de Courcy relatives at the Castle), but she dismisses his affection at first as mere puppy love, thereby setting the scene for a series of entanglements, social, romantic, and of course, financial and propertied (never far from the action in Trollope's works). Their resolution, of course, makes up the meat of the novel. One critic has remarked that in Doctor Thorne Trollope succeeds in one of the most difficult tasks an author of fiction can face: how to make genuinely good people genuinely interesting, so that they engage not only the sympathies but also the interest of readers. (Introduction by Nicholas Clifford) more

First serialized in Punch magazine in 1845, and officially published in book form in 1846, Mrs. Caudle's Curtain Lectures presents a collection of 37 lectures delivered by Mrs. Caudle to her husband as a means of reproach for his trivial infractions. Also, the author marvelously incorporates typical elements responsible for disagreements between spouses including the antipathetic mother-in-law, the ne'er-do-well friends, and the jealous outbursts.Jerrold's charming piece of satire introduces the Victorian married couple, Mr. Job Caudle, a small shop owner, and his martinet wife. Aware that her husband is much too busy during the day to absorb her wisdom and convictions, Mrs. Caudle patiently waits till nightfall, when the pair is united in the comfort of their bed, to share her thoughts with him. Unable to escape her verbal attacks, Mr. Caudle must bravely endure her overreactions over his innocent deeds. Furthermore, Mrs. Caudle possesses the power to exaggerate situations and formulate inflated outcomes that will supposedly bring havoc to their family. Needless to say, Mrs. Caudle seems to fuss about her husband's every move, as she fiercely brings attention to his innocent faults including money-lending, late night outings with friends, and a suspicious friendship with a certain woman. However, after thirty years of marriage, his wife dies and leaves him all alone in the night, but despite her physical absence, her voice still freshly lingers in his mind. As a result, he feels the need to write down her lectures each night and keep their nocturnal tradition alive.Interestingly, Mrs. Caudle's Curtain Lectures evokes a feeling of déjà vu, as Mrs. Caudle presents an archetypal model of the nagging and protective wife, whose husband is left defenseless against her scolding. A delightful set of heartfelt matrimonial discourse, Mrs. Caudle's bedroom lectures are sure to raise a laugh with her comical, yet charmingly realistic portrayal of a Victorian wife, as she fulfills the authoritative role as Mr. Caudle's lawfully wedded wife. more

Framley Parsonage is the fourth novel in Anthony Trollope's series known as the 'Chronicles of Barsetshire', first published in serial form in the Cornhill Magazine in 1860. (Summary by Wikipedia)'Of all novelists in any country, Trollope best understands the role of money. Compared with him even Balzac is a romantic.' — W. H. Auden Novels in the series are 1-The Warden1-The Warden (version 2)2-Barchester Towers3-Doctor Thorne4-Framley Parsonage5-The Small House at Allington6-The Last Chronicle of Barset more

Austen's timeless romantic classic, follows the lives of the five Bennett sisters, who live in a time where an advantageous marriage and social status are considered a fundamental for any woman to stand a fair chance at life. Set at the turn of the 19th century, Pride and Prejudice catches a perfect glimpse not only of a time when women were socially and economically dependent solely on their marital status, but also as an age of enlightenment and witness of the French Revolution.This romantic novel with its hint of comic references begins with the famous quote 'It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.'This famous quotation sets the story into motion as the eligible Mr. Bingley is introduced as he rides into town. The quote also draws in and to some extent reveals the content of the plot to come. Soon the news of the arrival of the well off Charles Bingley finds its way to the ears of the Bennett household. Having five unmarried daughters, the Bennetts are eager to match them up with suitable spouse candidates and see them prosperously married. After attending a ball, Mr. Bingley is instantly attracted to the oldest Bennett daughter Jane and it is fair to say that the feeling is mutual. Such cannot be said about his close friend Mr. Darcy who rudely refuses to dance with the second Bennett daughter Elizabeth. Consequently, Elizabeth's first prejudice is born as she labels Mr. Darcy arrogant and obnoxious; however, she later learns never to judge a book by its cover and must swallow up her pride to achieve happiness. Pride and Prejudice witnesses the exciting courtships of the Bennett sisters and their suitors, as well as the not so joyful relationships of other characters. As the novel develops the relationships between the characters must outweigh the forces seeking to tear them apart. Experience the adventures of the Bennett sisters as they face the troublesome issues of manners, social class, family, and marriages in a male reliant society. A story not only portraying the unreliable nature of pride and prejudice, Austen's classic also paints a vivid image of the past and the woman as a member of society. more

'The Forsyte Saga' is the story of a wealthy London family stretching from the eighteen-eighties until the nineteen-twenties. In Chancery is the second book in the saga. Five years have passed since Irene left Soames and the death of Bosinney. Old Jolyon meets Irene and is enchanted by her. At his death he leaves her a legacy sufficient for her to live an independent life in Paris.Soames who is desperate for a son, attempts to effect a rapprochement but is rejected by her. Meanwhile Young Jolyon, now a widower,who is Irene's trustee falls in love with herSoames suspects Young Jolyon and Irene of adultery and sues for divorce. His action is successful. Young Jolyon and Irene marry. She bears him a son, John. Soames remarries. His wife Annette bears him a daughter, Fleur. (Summary by Andy Minter) more

The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, the second and final novel by Anne Brontë, is concerned with the story of a woman who leaves her abusive, dissolute husband, and who must then support herself and her young son. Originally published in June of 1848, it challenged the prevailing morals of the time; a critic went so far as to pronounce it 'utterly unfit to be put into the hands of girls.' It is considered to be one of the first feminist novels. (Summary from Wikipedia) more

'Vanity Fair: A Novel without a Hero' is een in de jaren 1847-1848 gepubliceerde roman van William Makepeace Thackeray, een satire over de vroege 19e-eeuwse Engelse samenleving. Zoals in die tijd gebruikelijk was, verscheen de roman eerst in een (20-delige) serie als feuilleton in een tijdschrift.Vanitas Vanitatum. Wie van ons is gelukkig in deze wereld? Wie van ons heeft wat hij verlangt?, of zoo hij het heeft wie is voldaan?(Samenvatting geschreven door nl.Wikipedia) more

After a tragedy in her family, Lucy Snow leaves her home to become a teacher at a French boarding school. Lucy soon begins to fight against an overwhelming sense of desolation. Meeting a charming doctor and a strict, peculiar schoolmaster changes her life forever-- and threatens to break her spirit. (summary by heatherausten) more

'I consider the story as a whole to he good, though I am not aware that the public ever corroborated that verdict.' - the author The Claverings is the best wrought of the novels designed for The Cornhill, and as surely conceived as any book he ever wrote.' - Sadleir. 'It is a novel of atmosphere, and the atmosphere is of that sort very dangerous for the English novelist, the atmosphere captured so supremely well by Thackeray the green-lighted, close-scented gambling rooms, the shabby adventures of half-deserted spas, the shelving beaches of foreign watering-places, concealed accents, stolen passports, impoverished counts and impertinent ladies' maids.... Trollope's most serious attempt to escape from his own personality.' - Walpole more

Fifth novel in the Barsetshire series, The Small House at Allington is largely focused on the Small House's inhabitants, Mrs. Dale and her two marriageable daughters, Lily and Bell. The two girls, of course, have suitors: their cousin, Bernard Dale, his friend Adolphus Crosbie, and the local boy, Johnny Eames, whose career in London is to mark him as far more than the 'hobbledehoy' that he has earlier been considered. Crosbie is a social climber, and his connection with the dysfunctional de Courcys of Barsetshire give the author a chance for a splendid portrayal of an aristocratic family in decline. As with many of AT's novels, there are subplots as well, and many pictures of rural life standing in contrast to that of London. Some critics have seen in the portrayal of Johnny Eames something of an autobiographical exercise on Trollope's part. (Summary by Nicholas Clifford) Novels in the series are:1-The Warden1-The Warden(version 2)2-Barchester Towers3-Doctor Thorne4-Framley Parsonage5-The Small House at Allington6-The Last Chronicle of Barset more

Shirley is an 1849 social novel by the English novelist Charlotte Brontë. It was Brontë's second published novel after Jane Eyre (originally published under Brontë's pseudonym Currer Bell). The novel is set in Yorkshire in the period 1811 1812, during the industrial depression resulting from the Napoleonic Wars and the War of 1812. The novel is set against a backdrop of the Luddite uprisings in the Yorkshire textile industry.(Summary by Wikipedia) more

Trollope returns in Is He Popenjoy to two of his favorite subjects: property and inheritance. As in 'Doctor Thorne,' the issues are complicated by the specter of possible illegitimacy. Lord George Germain, a thoroughly respectable, upstanding, if not particularly bright younger son with new wife, rather expects to inherit a title, since his vicious and dissolute elder brother, the Marquis of Brotherton, who lives in Italy, shows no signs of settling down and producing heirs. Then comes a thunderbolt in the form of a letter from the Marquis suddenly claiming that he has, late in life, married an Italian widow and sired a son. This little boy, if he is indeed legitimate, is Lord Popenjoy and the heir to the marquisate.But is he legitimate? Are his parents in fact properly united in holy wedlock? And were they so at the time of his birth on alien soil? How on earth to find out? The book, which starts almost as a comedy of manners (and perhaps also a comedy of manors), takes on a darker and more sardonic tone with this mystery, and with some other suspected and actual romantic entanglements which are not entirely in the aristocratic Victorian rule-book. Among the large cast of characters are two memorable foreigners: the repellent German feminist Baroness Bannmann, and the rather more attractive American version, Amelia Q. Fleabody (not, of course, to be confused in any way with the real Elizabeth Peabody, who under another name, lies at the heart of Henry James's The Bostonians).(Summary by Nicholas Clifford) more

This is an exquisite and heartbreaking love story. Violet Tempest and Roderick Vawdrey, otherwise known to each other as Vixen and Rorie, are childhood sweethearts. However, Rorie's family wants him to marry elsewhere. You may think it is the old story all over again, but nothing in this novel is what it seems. It is far too realistic for that. Many books talk about falling in love. This book starts after that stage, and speaks about the harder stage of a relationship: loving earnestly but understanding that love - even in the truest and purest sense - is not everything in life. There are duties to fulfill, and they might have nothing to do with love. Family life plays a large role in this novel, and it is not always warm and good. Many of the characters are strong and complicated. The novel has some feminist ideas, but they have boundaries, and are presented side by side with the conventional ideas of the times. But the signs of change are there... loud and clear. (Summary by Stav Nisser) more

In this novel by Victorian sensationalist Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Henry Dunbar returns to England after a 30-year exile to India for committing forgery. What follows is an adventure involving murder, deception, the ethical quandaries of guilt and responsibility, and the struggle against the gender and social barriers of the Victorian era. (Summary by Rosie) more

The Heir of Redclyffe (1853) was the first of Charlotte M. Yonge's bestselling romantic novels. Its religious tone derives from the High Church background of her family and from her friendship with a leading figure in the Oxford Movement, John Keble, who closely supervised the writing of the book. The germ of its plot was suggested by her friend Marianne Dyson. (Summary from Wikipedia) more

The Jubilee marks the fiftieth year of the reign of Queen Victoria. Dickensian in its sweeping scope of London life, Jubilee depicts the harsh and disreputable conditions of lower-middle class life at the end of the 19th century. (Introduction by S. Kovalchik) more

The necessity of a work on Snobs, demonstrated from History, and proved by felicitous illustrations:—I am the individual destined to write that work—My vocation is announced in terms of great eloquence—I show that the world has been gradually preparing itself for the WORK and the MAN—Snobs are to be studied like other objects of Natural Science, and are a part of the Beautiful (with a large B). They pervade all classes—Affecting instance of Colonel Snobley. (Summary excerpted from Prefatory Remarks from the book by W. M. Thackeray) more

Clarissa, or, the History of a Young Lady is an epistolary novel by Samuel Richardson, published in 1748. It tells the tragic story of a heroine whose quest for virtue is continually thwarted by her family, and is the longest real novel in the English language. (Summary by Wikipedia) more

Trilby, published in 1894, fits into the gothic horror genre which was undergoing a revival during the Fin de siècle and is one of the most popular novels of its time, perhaps the second best selling novel of the Fin de siècle period after Bram Stoker's Dracula. The story of the poor artist's model Trilby O'Ferrall, transformed into a diva under the spell of the evil musical genius Svengali, created a sensation. Soap, songs, dances, toothpaste, and Trilby, Florida were all named for the heroine, and a variety of soft felt hat with an indented crown (worn in the London stage production of a dramatization of the novel) came to be called a trilby. brThe plot inspired Gaston Leroux's 1910 potboiler Phantom of the Opera and the innumerable works derived from it, and introduced the phrase 'in the altogether' (meaning 'completely unclothed') to the English language. (Summary from Wikipedia) more

Prose Were The Days is a book-club style reading and discussion of books from the Romantic and Victorian periods, with the goal of spreading the love for old literature. Grab some tea, settle in, and enjoy when Prose Were The Days more

The recently widowed Adela Gereth, a lover of beauty and passionate collector of fine objects, strikes up a friendship with the young Fleda Vetch, when both of them find themselves guests in the tasteless house of Brigstock family. Mrs. Gereth fears that her son Owen, an honorable but somewhat unimaginative young man, may take up with one of the Brigstock girls, and indeed he presently announces his engagement to Mona, the eldest daughter. That means that Mrs. Gereth will have to leave Poynton, the beautiful house that she and her husband filled with the furniture, china, tapestries, and other objects that they lovingly collected over the years. It is not so much possessiveness that drives Mrs. Gereth to want to maintain control over them (or so she claims, at any rate), but rather the sense that she will have failed if Mona, understanding and appreciating nothing of what Poynton contains, should become Owen's wife and take charge. The story and its developing conflicts are seen largely from the point of view of Fleda Vetch, the young woman who, her moral and aesthetic sensibilities tuned perhaps as finely as any of James's protagonists, finds herself caught in the middle.(Summary by Nicholas Clifford) more

The novel traces the return of a young Englishwoman from several years of schooling abroad, to find that her life will not take up where she thought it would. Clarissa Lovel faced not only an emotionally and financially bereft father, but her first glimpse at love - and that not from the best vantage point. (Summary by Cathy Barratt) more

The Charles Dickens 200th Anniversary Collection comprises short works previously unrecorded for LibriVox - fiction, essays, poetry, letters, magazine articles and speeches - and each volume will be a potpourri of all genres and periods of his writing. This first volume was released on Dickens' 200th birthday, February 7th 2012 and further volumes followed during the anniversary year.Volume 1 includes short stories including, amongst others, The Holly Tree, the first part of Holiday Romance and three pieces from Mugby Junction.Some items requiring a little further explanation are Prince Bull, written as a fairy tale, but in reality a scathing attack on the Government's handling of supplies to the troops in the Crimean War; Old Lamps for New Ones in which Dickens makes clear his low opinion of the ethos of the Pre-Raphaelite school of painting; and Frauds on the Fairies, a polemic against George Cruikshank's bowdlerisation of fairy tales for moralistic purposes, and the interesting revelation that 'product placement' is by no means a new phenomenon. (Introduction by Ruth Golding) more

2012 was the 200th anniversary of Dickens' birth. This is the fourth volume; the first volume of short works - fiction, essays, poetry and speeches, previously unrecorded for LibriVox, was catalogued by Dickens' birthday on February 7th 2012. Further volumes were added during the anniversary year. (Summary by Ruth Golding) more

The Picture of Dorian Gray is the only published novel by Oscar Wilde, appearing as the lead story in Lippincott's Monthly Magazine on 20 June 1890, printed as the July 1890 issue of this magazine. Wilde later revised this edition, making several alterations, and adding new chapters; the amended version was published by Ward, Lock, and Company in April 1891. The novel tells of a young man named Dorian Gray, the subject of a painting by artist Basil Hallward. Basil is impressed by Dorian's beauty and becomes infatuated with him, believing his beauty is responsible for a new mode in his art. Dorian meets Lord Henry Wotton, a friend of Basil's, and becomes enthralled by Lord Henry's world view. Espousing a new hedonism, Lord Henry suggests the only things worth pursuing in life are beauty and fulfillment of the senses. Realizing that one day his beauty will fade, Dorian (whimsically) expresses a desire to sell his soul to ensure the portrait Basil has painted would age rather than himself. Dorian's wish is fulfilled, plunging him into debauched acts. The portrait serves as a reminder of the effect each act has upon his soul, with each sin displayed as a disfigurement of his form, or through a sign of aging. The Picture of Dorian Gray is considered a work of classic gothic fiction with a strong Faustian theme. (Summary by Wikipedia) more

Set in Victorian times, the novel concerns business man Paul Bultitude and his son Dick. Dick is about to leave home for a boarding school which is ruled by the cane wielding headmaster Dr. Grimstone. Bultitude, seeing his son's fear of going to the school, foolishly says that schooldays are the best years of a boy's life, and how he wished that he was the one so doing.At this point, thanks to a handy magic stone brought by an uncle from India which grants the possessor one wish, they are now on even terms. Dick, now holding the stone, is ordered by his father to turn him back into his own body, but Dick refuses, and decides instead to become his father, and so the fun begins. Mr. Bultitude has to begin the new academic term at his son's boarding school, while Dick gets a chance to run his father's business in the City. In the end, they are both restored to their own bodies, with a better understanding of each other. (Summary by Wikipedia) more

2012 was the 200th anniversary of Dickens' birth. This is the fifth and last volume; the first volume of short works - fiction, essays, poetry and speeches, previously unrecorded for LibriVox, was catalogued by Dickens' birthday on February 7th 2012, and further volumes followed throughout the anniversary year. (Summary by Ruth Golding) more

This year is the 200th anniversary of Dickens' birth. This is the second volume; the first volume of short works - fiction, essays, poetry and speeches, previously unrecorded for LibriVox, was catalogued on Dickens' birthday, February 7th 2012, and further volumes followed during the anniversary year. (Summary by Ruth Golding) more

Cranford is set in a small market town populated largely by a number of respectable ladies. It tells of their secrets and foibles, their gossip and their romances as they face the challenges of dealing with new inhabitants to their society and innovations to their settled existence. It was first published between 1851 and 1853 as episodes in Charles Dickens' Journal Household Words. Appended to this recording is a short sequel, The Cage at Cranford, written ten years later and published in the journal All the Year Round. In a letter to Mrs. Gaskell, Charlotte Bronte wrote: 'Thank you for your letter, it was as pleasant as a quiet chat, as welcome as spring showers, as reviving as a friend's visit; in short, it was very like a page of Cranford.'... Cranford is a genteel and humorous look at Victorian society by Elizabeth Gaskell, and is quite a change from her more gritty novels like Mary Barton or North and South. (Summary by Noel Badrian) more

The thirty-five year-old (hence utterly over-the-hill) Miss Margaret Mackenzie, having devoted her life to others, suddenly finds herself with no one to care for, and in possession of a moderate fortune. Having money, she is now much sought-after and no longer universally deemed too old to marry. Partly because she has spent her life taking care of the brother whose money she has now inherited, she has no experience of wealth or popularity. Miss Mackenzie is the definition of 'other-oriented. (Indeed, Trollope originally considered naming the novel, and his heroine, 'Griselda', presumably to invoke the folkloric character's qualities of stolid obedience and endless patience.) These circumstances are the perfect set-up for classic Trollopian swipes and snipes at various fortune-hunters and other obsequies, and more broadly at society's sexism, classism, and Mammonism. She comes into her own and begins to try to enjoy life, at first juggling, but ultimately rejecting, three serious suitors. As the story unfolds, the particulars of her deceased brother's life and death reveal themselves, Miss Mackenzie becomes increasingly able to know who she is and what she wants, and both she and the reader are better able to discern the true colors of those around her. The question is: Will her self-knowledge overcome both her personal history and various social prejudices, so as to allow her to fall in love with and say 'yes' to a really good man? (Summary by Kirsten Wever) more

A villainous vicar insinuates himself into the life of a wealthy but foolish widow, ruining the fortunes and happiness of her three children, until they begin to fight back. Published in 1837 by the mother of the better-known Anthony Trollope, this highly readable romance portrays the evangelical movement of the Anglican church in a shocking light that may remind readers of some of the religious abuses of the present day. (Summary by Angela Rowland) more

The Stones of Venice is a three-volume treatise on Venetian art and architecture by English art historian John Ruskin, first published from 1851 to 1853. Intending to prove how the architecture in Venice exemplified the principles he discussed in his earlier work, The Seven Lamps of Architecture, Ruskin examined the city in detail, describing for example over eighty churches. He discusses architecture of Venice's Byzantine, Gothic and Renaissance periods, and provides a general history of the city as well. The book aroused considerable interest in Victorian Britain and beyond. The chapter 'The Nature of Gothic' (from volume 2) was admired by William Morris, who published it separately in an edition which is in itself an example of Gothic revival. It inspired Marcel Proust; the narrator of the Recherche visits Venice with his mother in a state of enthusiasm for Ruskin. The Stones of Venice is considered one of the most influential books of the 19th century. (Summary adapted from the Wikipedia by Leni) Proof-Listeners: Becky Cook & Rapunzelina more

Wharton's classic story of an aging (by Victorian-era standards) spinster socialite who would rather marry for money than for true love. (Summary by BellonaTimes) more

Douglas William Jerrold (1803-1857) was the son of an actor manager. After some time in the Navy and as an apprentice printer he became a playwright and later a journalist. He was a contemporary and friend of Charles Dickens. As a journalist he worked for Punch magazine in which Mrs Caudle's Curtain Lectures were serialised, to be published in book form in 1846.Job Caudle, the 'hero' of the book is a Victorian shopkeeper whose wife finds she can only talk to him without interruption in bed. Caudle, who outlives his wife, finds he can no longer sleep easily because of his memory of these 'lectures' and resolves to exorcise his wife's memory by recording the lectures, it seems with a view to future publication for the edification of others. Jerrold's humour shines through this insight into Victorian middle class culture. (Summary by Martin Clifton) more

G. K. Chesterton was a great admirer of Charles Dickens, and wrote a noted critique of Dickens' works expressing his opinion in his own inimitable style. (Summary by Karen Merline) more

This is the podcast for the ERC-funded interdisciplinary project Diseases of Modern Life: Nineteenth Century Perspectives, at the University of Oxford. The project explores the medical, literary and cultural responses in the Victorian age to the perceived problems of stress and overwork, anticipating many of the preoccupations of our own era. more

The Portrait of a Lady is a novel by Henry James, first published as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly and Macmillan's Magazine in 1880-1881 and then as a book in 1881. It is the story of a spirited young American woman, Isabel Archer, who 'affronts her destiny' and finds it overwhelming. She inherits a large amount of money and subsequently becomes the victim of Machiavellian scheming by two American expatriates. Like many of James's novels, it is set mostly in Europe, notably England and Italy. Generally regarded as the masterpiece of his early phase of writing, this novel reflects James's absorbing interest in the differences between the New World and the Old. It also treats in a profound way the themes of personal freedom, responsibility, betrayal, and sexuality. (Summary from Wikipedia) more

This novella by the acclaimed Elizabeth Gaskell follows the reminiscences and life of aristocratic Lady Ludlow, told through the eyes of one of her charges, the young Margaret Dawson. Lady Ludlow epitomizes the unwillingness of the old English gentry to accept the progression of social reform and technology, such as education for the poor and religious leniency. She reminisces about her friends in the French revolution and tries to protect and guide the numerous young ladies she has taken under her care. [Summary by Rosie] more

Anthony Trollope's fortieth novel, published in 1881, concerns a respectable Christian boys' school whose proprietor unknowingly hires a woman who apparently has two husbands: a devoted English scholar and an abusive drunkard from the American South. The book interweaves a sensitive and realistic exploration of Dr. Wortle's moral dilemma with a humorous look at small-town gossip and--of course--a romance involving the doctor's beautiful young daughter. ( Summary by Angela Rowland ) more

His Grace of Osmonde, being the portions of that nobleman's life omitted in the relation of his Lady's story presented to the world of fashion under the title of 'A Lady of Quality'(Summary by Frances Hodgson Burnett) more

Orphan Lady Margaret Cheyne returns home on her eighteenth birthday to live with her embittered maiden aunt and to take up her inheritance of the family jewels. The Cheyne jewels include a pendant featuring the Purple Emperor, a priceless jewel looted from a temple during the Indian Mutiny.During her time at school in Paris, Lady Margaret has met and fallen in love with Sir Edgar Brenton, the son of an old flame of her aunt and a neighbour in the village of Hampton, where Cleek's adored Ailsa Lorne has also taken up residence.Lady Margaret's return leads to a mysterious and sinister chain of events, which Cleek and Superintendent Maverick Narkom of Scotland Yard attempt to unravel, with, of course, the help of the irrepressible and ever-hungry Dollops, Cleek's cockney sidekick.This full-length mystery is a welcome return for Hamilton Cleek, whom we first met in Cleek: The Man of the Forty Faces. (Summary by Ruth Golding) more

'I have to thank all the previous students of Shelley as poet and man--not last nor least among whom is my husband--for their loving and truthful research on all the subjects surrounding the life of Mrs.Shelley.' -Lucy Madox Brown Rossetti Mrs. Shelley is a biography of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley, author of Frankenstein and other works, wife of Percy Shelley, daughter of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin who penned The Vindication of the Rights of Women, and daughter of William Godwin, a philosopher and novelist. The life of this woman, who at nineteen wrote a story that has become a part of everyday culture, is its own story to tell. The author Lucy Madox Brown Rossetti was the daughter of the artist Ford Madox Brown and the wife of William Michael Rossetti of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood. (Summary by A.L. Gramour) more

Comedy of manners, satire & the Victorian Age

This is Engels' first book (since considered a classic account of England's working class in the industrial age), which argues that workers paid a heavy price for the industrial revolution that swept the country. Engels wrote the piece while staying in Manchester from 1842 to 1844, based on th bohis observations and several contemporary reports conducted over the period. (Summary by Cathy Barratt) more

A Victorian man's self image and his view of foreigners

Drarry

Moda en el siglo xix

El objetivo de este podcast es analizar la visión feminista en la novela Cumbres Borrascosas de Emily Brontë, en la que, a través de los personajes - principalmente femeninos -, se desarrolla todo un panorama de la sociedad de la época, que además devela la realidad de la mujer victoriana. Del mismo modo, se analizará la postura de la escritora frente a una sociedad patriarcal en la que las mujeres no tenían ni voz ni voto, para de esta manera entender por qué esta novela debería de ser leída desde una perspectiva feminista. more

Describes inventions and technological advances of the Victorian era

Elizabeth Stuart Phelps's 1877 novel is set in a New England college town, and focuses on Avis Dobell, a professor's daughter. Avis is a talented painter, and bucks against the constraints placed on women in the 19th century. She wants to pursue a career as an artist and rejects marriage and motherhood, until she meets the charismatic young professor Philip Ostrander. Phelps's novel is a beautifully-written examination of the conflicts between marriage and career for women that is still relevant today. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett) more

Natalie Graybrooke is in love with her cousin Launcelot Linzie, but engaged to Mr. Turlington, an older man who covets her fortune and whom she detests. Turlington is the executor of Natalie's father's estate. When Natalie secretly marries her cousin, Turlington arranges to have Natalie's father murdered, to gain control of his fortune. (Summary by Christine Dufour) more

If you're a Jane Austen fan, you'll enjoy Emily Eden's comic novels of manners, The Semi-Detached House (1859) and The Semi-Attached Couple (1860). At the opening of The Semi-Detached House, the beautiful (but rather petulant) Lady Blanche Chester, newly married and pregnant, is being installed in a suburban house while her husband is away. Her encounters with her neighbors, and the intrigues of the neighborhood, soon come to absorb and annoy her. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett) more

A Crystal Age is a utopian novel written by W. H. Hudson, first published in 1887. The book has been called a 'significant S-F milestone' and has been noted for its anticipation of the 'modern ecological mysticism' that would evolve a century later. (Summary by Wikipedia) more

The tale of John Peerybingle, the good-hearted carrier, and his young wife Mary ('Dot'), interwoven with the story of poor toymaker Caleb Plummer, his beloved blind daughter Bertha, and the harsh old toy merchant Tackleton, who is due to marry May Fielding, a childhood friend of Dot. Comic relief is provided by Tilly Slowboy, the disaster-prone nursemaid of John and Dot's baby, and Boxer, the family dog.The cricket who chirps on the family hearth assumes fairy form to save the day when disaster looms in the form of a mysterious stranger. Sentimental? Certainly - but this, the third (1845) of Dickens' short Christmas books, is as charming and irresistible as its predecessors A Christmas Carol (1843) and The Chimes (1844).The novella is subdivided into chapters called 'Chirps', similar to the 'Quarters' of The Chimes or the 'Staves' of A Christmas Carol. (Introduction by Ruth Golding) more

The pedigrees of our county families, arranged in diagrams on the pages of county histories, mostly appear at first sight to be as barren of any touch of nature as a table of logarithms. But given a clue—the faintest tradition of what went on behind the scenes, and this dryness as of dust may be transformed into a palpitating drama. Out of such pedigrees and supplementary material most of the following stories have arisen and taken shape. (Summary adapted from the preface) more

Sovereign Hill is an outdoor, activated museum in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. We tell the exciting story of the Australian goldrushes. These podcasts feature experts exploring topical themes in Victorian and goldrush history. more

Explanations of Western European trends in men and women's fashion from prehistoric times to the Victorian Era. (Summary by Libby Gohn) more

George Eliot's 1859 novella, The Lifted Veil, departs radically from the grounded realism of her longer and better known works, such as Middlemarch and Daniel Deronda. Its tone calls to mind the works of middlebrow Sensationists, like Wilkie Collins (The Moonstone), and of some of the better known authors of Victorian era horror writings, such as Bram Stoker (Dracula) and Mary Shelley (Frankenstein).Eliot here explores mystical themes, considering the world of phenomena which are felt but not seen. Yet in doing so she suggests that the apparent clairvoyance of her main character, Latimer, may in fact be, at least in part, psychological expressions of his early life experiences. This view is supported by the fact that most of Latimer's vision-based predictions of how people will behave and events unfold do not, in the end, turn out as he had foretold.Much of this work's power and complexity lie in Latimer's relationship with Bertha, whom he ultimately, unhappily, marries. Bertha is the one person whose thoughts and feelings he is not able to read, raising the question: What is it about Bertha that renders her inaccessible to his psychic penetration and what does this tell us about her, and about him. (Introduction by Kirsten Wever) more

This work from 1901 predicts what technological developments will manifest in the twentieth century. The author, a technical journalist, presents ideas for inventions and new developments in the areas of power, transportation, agriculture, mining, domestic applications, electronic devices, warfare, music, art, and news. Many have come to pass. All of them provide an interesting look into how the next century was imagined and what challenges were anticipated for the progress of society. -(Summary by A. Gramour) more

Readings and tidbits from authors of the 1800's.

This Podcast engages with George Eliot's writing of medicine in Victorian England

Every 7 chapters my group and I will be discussing the various events and topics that arise throughout the novel Great Expectations. We hope you enjoy our podcast and if you have any comments let us know we are here to make you life enjoyable. : ) more

Dorian Gray, a young man of wealth and stature in late 1800's London, meets Lord Henry Wotton while posing for a portrait by his friend Basil Hallward. Once the painting is complete, Dorian realizes that it will always be young and attractive, while he will be forced to age and wither with the years. Carelessly, he wishes the opposite were true. What happens is a treatise on morals, self-indulgence and how crucial personal responsibility is towards one's self. (Summary by John Gonzalez) more

Laurence Oliphant, author, international traveller, diplomatist and mystic, who spent a decade in later life under the influence of the spiritualist prophet Thomas Lake Harris, writes here under the amusing guise of Lord Frank Vanecourt, bringing us a veritable pot-pourri of events from everyday life in 1865 as he moves amongst the great, the good, and not so good who reside in the exclusive area of London's Piccadilly W1 and its surroundings. (Introduction by Nigel Carrington) more

This story opens at a fashionable dinner party in Sir Robert Chiltern's home in the heart of London's stylish Grosvenor Square. One of Lady Chiltern's old school-friends, Mrs. Cheveley, a woman with a dubious past, accosts Sir Robert and threatens to expose a financial crime that he had once participated in, unless he agrees to finance a fraudulent construction project that she's promoting. Lady Chiltern is astounded when her husband who had been the severest critic of this project suddenly begins to speak in its favor. Yet she has secrets of her own, which she desperately needs to hide. Behind the lives of this fashionable set who inhabit the higher echelons of political life in England lie some very unsavory truths.An Ideal Husband by Oscar Wilde was wildly popular when it was first staged on January 3, 1895 and has remained one of his most performed and studied works ever since. Critics and audiences alike thoroughly enjoyed this tale of blackmail, mystery and high level political corruption. Garnished with Wilde's inimitable witty one liners, the play combines an airy lightness with a solid underpinning of thought provoking ideas. The concept of public and private honor, the place of a woman in her husband's life, society, marriage, femininity and feminism and what Mrs. Cheveley calls the 'fine art of living' are some of the important themes explored in this play which takes place over just twenty-four hours in the lives of the characters.The play clocked more than a hundred performances in its first outing itself and has continued to delight viewers and readers ever since. It has been filmed at least four times, with the latest screen adaptation being in 1999, starring Julianne Moore and Cate Blanchett. Several television, audio and radio adaptations have been made.Some of the memorable quotes from the play include 'To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance!' 'When the Gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers' 'Even you are not rich enough Sir Robert, to buy back your past. No man is.' An Ideal Husband is relevant, especially today, more than a hundred years after it was first written, in this age of extreme media focus on the private lives of celebrities. It also takes a long hard look at the crumbling facade of Victorian upper class life in the closing years of the nineteenth century. For enthusiasts of Wilde's delightful wit, almost endless banter between characters, mannered comedies and the subtle portrayal of the underlying tragedy of life, An Ideal Husband is indeed a great story to read! more

The Masquerader is one of two Katherine Cecil Thurston's books that appeared on the Publisher's Weekly best-seekers list in 1905 (The other, The Gambler, is also in the Librivox collection). The Masquerader is part mystery, part romance and part political thriller all tied up in one neat package. Nature has a way of sometimes making two people nearly indistinguishable in appearance. Such is the premise for this book. John Chilcote, a British politician, and John Loder, a man down on his luck meet by accident one night during one of London's worst fogs. Chilcote, addicted to morphine, needs to escape his political responsibilities and presents an offer to Loder to exchange places occasionally. Loder, reluctant at first, finally accepts the proposal and finds he fits into Chilcote's role perhaps better than Chilcote himself. The exchanges become more frequent and lengthy. Loder, finding his way, discovers he is worthy of Chilcote's position, especially during an international crisis, but when Chilcote reclaims his life, Loder's accomplishments try to unravel. Two women are intimately involved in this story one is Chilcote's wife, Eve, who is a wife of convenience rather than love. The second is Lady Astrupp. We will say little about Lady Astrupp except that she adds a great deal of suspense to the story. In such a charade, things do not always go as expected. Does Chilcote break his drug habit? What becomes of Loder? Does Eve become suspicious as a wife might? Is the masquerade exposed by……but then I would be telling you more than you should know beforehand. (Summary by Tom Weiss) more

This 1861 novella was the first published work by Rebecca Harding Davis: writer, social reformer, and pioneer of literary realism. It tells the story of Hugh Wolfe, a Welsh laborer in an iron mill who is also a talented sculptor, and of Deborah, the hunchbacked woman who unrequitedly loves him. (Summary by Elizabeth Klett) more

George Gissing was one of the most accomplished writers of realism in the Victorian Era. Also The Paying Guest is a great example of realism, which closely pictures the class struggles of the time. The Novel opens at the breakfast table of the Mumfords, when Mr. Mumford draws the attention of his wife to an advertisement in the newspaper of a young lady searching a home with a respectable, well-connected family in London. After some consideration, the Mumfords decide to answer to the advertisment, and a few weeks later, Miss Derrick moves in with them. Tensions are inevitable. (Summary by Carolin) more

Clarence and Emmeline Mumford are in for a real treat when they take in the young, outspoken Miss Louise Derrick as their guest. Shedding a light on class struggles in the Victorian era, The Paying Guest offers a look at just what 'proper society' expects. (Summary by Amanda Friday)Cast:Narrator: Elizabeth KlettClarence Mumford: AllenJohnsEmmeline Mumford: Arielle LipshawLouise Derrick: Amanda FridayMrs. Higgins: KristingjMr. Bilton/Man: Noel BadrianMr. Cobb: Robert HoffmanServant: April GonzalesDr. Billings: Ernst PattynamaMrs. Grove: Tiffany Halla ColonnaAudio edited by: Amanda Friday more

LibriVox volunteers bring you 8 recordings of The Song of the Western Men by Robert Stephen Hawker.This was the Weekly Poetry project for August 29th, 2010.This poem is also known by the title of 'Trelawny'. Hawker wrote the song in 1824, telling of events that took place in 1688. more

Twee korte verhalen van Charles Dickens verschenen in Household Words. 'Helena' is een stichtend verhaal over zuinigheid en verkwisting. Het tweede verhaal 'De Dief van de Koh-I-Noor' gaat over de succesvolle roof van de diamant die tegenwoordig in de Engelse kroon zit. Samenvatting geschreven door Marcel Coenders more

The story told in Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic novel, A Little Princess, was first written as a serialized novella, Sara Crewe, or What Happened at Miss Minchin's, and published in St. Nicholas Magazine, in 1888. It tells the story of Sara Crewe, an intelligent, wealthy, young girl at Miss Minchin's Select Seminary for Young Ladies. Sara's fortunes change when her father dies, and she goes from being a show pupil and parlor boarder at the school to a drudge, but eventually she finds happiness and a home again. (Summary by Treesh) more

The Princess is a serio-comic blank verse narrative poem, written by Alfred Tennyson, published in 1847. The poem tells the story of an heroic princess who forswears the world of men and founds a women's university where men are forbidden to enter. The prince to whom she was betrothed in infancy enters the university with two friends, disguised as women students. They are discovered and flee, but eventually they fight a battle for the princess's hand. (Summary by Wikipedia) more

The Mudfog Papers was written by Victorian era novelist Charles Dickens and published from 1837 38 in the monthly literary serial Bentley's Miscellany, which he then edited. They were first published as a book as 'The Mudfog Papers and Other Sketches. The Mudfog Papers relates the proceedings of the fictional 'The Mudfog Society for the Advancement of Everything', a Pickwickian parody of the British Association for the Advancement of Science founded in York in 1831, one of the numerous Victorian learned societies dedicated to the advancement of Science. Like The Pickwick Papers, The Mudfog Papers claim affinity with Parliamentary reports, memoirs, and posthumous papers. The serial was illustrated by George Cruikshank. The fictional town of Mudfog was based on Chatham in Kent, where Dickens spent part of his youth. Mudfog was described by Dickens as being the town where Oliver Twist was born and spent his early years when the story first appeared in 'Bentley's Miscellany' in February 1837, making it a continuation of The Mudfog Papers, but this allusion was removed when the story was printed in book form. At the conclusion of his first contribution, about the mayor of the provincial town of Mudfog, Dickens explains that 'this is the first time we have published any of our gleanings from this particular source,' referring to 'The Mudfog Papers'. He also suggests that 'at some future period, we may venture to open the chronicles of Mudfog.' (Summary by Wikipedia) more

Racconto a episodi di Virginia Olper (1856-1919) ambientato a Venezia sul finire del XIX secolo, letto in occasione dei cento anni dalla morte della scrittrice. more

The Young Visiters is a comic romance novella that parodies upper class society of late Victorian England. Social climber Alfred Salteena introduces his young lady friend Ethel to a genuine gentleman named Bernard and, to his irritation, they hit it off. But Bernard helps Alfred in his plan to become a gentleman, which, Alfred hopes, will help him win back Ethel.(Summary by Derek Jensen) more