The Classics category has 3,859 audiobooks on Listento.it, with an average listener rating of 4.5★ across 36,161 ratings. The most-rated is The Fellowship of the Ring.
Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights
Summary
A fascinating collection of the Bronte Sisters’ most famous work. Offering poignant and eye-opening reflections on Victorian society, the works of Emily and Charlotte Bronte hold a special place in literary history and in the hearts of everyone who reads them. Deeply controversial in their time for their critical look at core parts of society - including religion, class, and the role of women - their work has transcended the 19th century to provide an often-forgotten glimpse into the struggles of the past. Now, over 150 years since their first publication, this collection brings two of their most famous books to modern listeners. Imbued with the same artful prose and gripping themes, this audiobook presents the Bronte Sisters’ classic books in an engaging audio format. Inside this collection, you’ll find: Wuthering Heights, a timeless classic which paints a stark picture of 19th-century England and challenges deeply held Victorian ideals Jane Eyre, one of the most influential and beloved romance novels of its time, which is credited with revolutionizing first-person writing Perfect for fans of classic literature, early female authors, and Victorian society, this collection is a must-listen for anyone who wants to know more about the Bronte Sisters and their legacy.
Public Domain (P)2020 Flâneur Media
Joseph Andrews
Summary
Penguin Classics presents Henry Fielding’s Joseph Andrews, adapted for listening and available as a digital audiobook as part of the Penguin English Library series. Read by the actor Sean Barrett. "Kissing, Joseph, is but a prologue to a Play. Can I believe a young fellow of your Age and Complexion will be content with Kissing? Henry Fielding’s riotous tale of innocents in a corrupt world was one of the earliest English novels, blending bawdy slapstick, philosophical musing, and pointed social satire to create a work of moral complexity and generous, life-affirming humanity. Published in 1742, it tells the story of the chaste servant Joseph Andrews who, after being sacked for spurning the advances of the lascivious Lady Booby, takes to the road, accompanied by his beloved Fanny Goodwill and the absent-minded, much put-upon Parson Adams. There they encounter robbers, tricksters, seducers, mishaps, and strange twists of fortune in a series of adventures filled with exuberant comedy. Part of a collection of vintage recordings taken from the Penguin Archives, the Penguin English Library series offers affordable, collectable, quality productions that are perfect for on-the-go listening.
Public Domain (P)2012 Penguin Books Ltd
Caligula
Summary
En septembre 2002, Frémeaux & Associés et l'Ina (Institut national de l'audiovisuel), en accord avec Gallimard, mettent pour la première fois à la disposition du public le texte intégral de l'Etranger d'Albert Camus. C'est à l'initiative de Michel Polac que nous présentons aujourd'hui la pièce maîtresse de l'œuvre théâtrale d'Albert Camus : Caligula, interprétée par son auteur. Nous remercions la succession d'Albert Camus de nous avoir autorisé à partager ce trésor de théâtre, qui fait revivre à l'auditeur d'aujourd'hui l'authenticité de l'œuvre par son auteur.
©1947 Gallimard (P)1954 Frémeaux & Associés / INA
Far from the Madding Crowd (AmazonClassics Edition)
Summary
In rural Victorian England, the willful Bathsheba Everdene is courted by three men: her repressed neighbor, a devoted shepherd, and a thriftless soldier. They cross and clash again and again in tragedy, grief, betrayal, misguided affections, and the follies of romantic love. Though far from the fury of the city, the drama they engender is equal to the whole of the universe in madness and passion. Hardy’s Far from the Madding Crowd, his first literary success, is one of the great love stories of English literature. AmazonClassics brings you timeless works from the masters of storytelling. Ideal for anyone who wants to read a great work for the first time or rediscover an old favorite, these new editions open the door to literature’s most unforgettable characters and beloved worlds. Revised edition: Previously published as Far From the Madding Crowd, this edition of Far From the Madding Crowd (AmazonClassics Edition) includes editorial revisions.
Public Domain (P)2018 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.
Daphne and Apollo
Summary
Ovid’s telling of the story of Apollo wooing Daphne is highly original, as he felt free to elaborate as needed. The ways in which Ovid accentuates the transformation of Daphne with elements of foreboding throughout the narrative are innovative. Balancing a lighthearted approach, like the interaction of Cupid and Apollo, with profound psychological insight, Ovid tells a thrilling tale of male and female and of divinity and humanity.
Public Domain (P)2018 Museum Audiobooks
Henry V
Summary
Henry V is a study of kingship, patriotism, and heroic determination tempered by tender comedy as Henry courts Katherine, princess of France. Henry, the noble and courageous young king of England, decides to invade France, believing he has a rightful claim to the throne. At Agincourt he leads his army into battle against the powerful French forces and, against all the odds, wins a famous victory. Henry is played by Jamie Glover, Brian Cox is the Chorus, and the Hostess is played by Elizabeth Spriggs.
Public Domain (P)2014 Blackstone Audio
The George Bernard Shaw Collection
Summary
Eight of George Bernard Shaw's most memorable plays in one splendid collection: Mrs. Warren’s Profession: Shaw pits a clever heroine against a memorable gallery of rogues in this superbly intelligent and still shocking comedy, which was banned for eight years from the English stage after its London debut. Performed by Shirley Knight, et al. Arms and the Man: The beautiful, headstrong Raina awaits her fiancé’s return from battle – but instead meets a soldier who seeks asylum in her bedroom. Performed by Anne Heche, et al. Candida: Shaw’s warm and witty play challenged conventional wisdom about relationships between the sexes, as a beautiful wife must choose between the two men who love her. Performed by JoBeth Williams, et al. The Devil’s Disciple: A young hero who disdains heroism makes the ultimate sacrifice for honor and country during the American Revolution. Performed by Richard Dreyfuss, et al. Major Barbara: This sparkling comedy traverses family relations, religion, ethics and politics - as only Shaw, the master dramatist, can! Performed by Kate Burton, Roger Rees, et al. The Doctor’s Dilemma: A well-respected physician is forced to choose whom he shall save: a bumbling friend or the ne’er-do-well husband of the woman he loves. Performed by Martin Jarvis, Paxton Whitehead, et al. Misalliance: A self-made millionaire and his family invite their future in-law for a visit to their estate. In this delightfully clever play, issues of gender, class, politics, and family are all targets for Shaw’s keen wit. Performed by Roger Rees, Eric Stoltz, et al. Pygmalion: Shaw’s beloved play about an irascible speech professor who decides to mold a Cockney flower girl into the darling of high society. Performed by Shannon Cochran, et al.
©2010 L.A. Theatre Works (P)2010 L.A. Theatre Works
Once Hell Freezes Over
Summary
From the current king of the sexy, hard-driving action western! The legendary Sheriff Ben Stillman series continues.... After bringing in a band of horse thieves, Sheriff Ben Stillman would like nothing better than to go back home to his wife and wait out the winter storm that is blasting through the Montana mountains. But the storm is about to become the least of the legendary lawman's concerns. A vicious gang of murdering outlaws has taken refuge from the brutal cold and snow in a remote mountain ranch cabin - taking everyone inside hostage. And Stillman is the only chance they've got to get out alive. It's Stillman's duty to save them. But the hardened lawman is taking this much more personally - and for good reason. They have his wife, Fay, too.
©2019 Peter Brandvold (P)2019 Wolfpack Publishing
Charles Dickens Classics Collection: A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol and The Chimes
Summary
Unique to this title is: A historical introduction A study of the themes present in A Tale of Two Cities, A Christmas Carol and The Chimes You may of course skip all of it and go straight to the main title if you do not want any spoilers and come back later to the beginning. Charles Dickens was an English writer and social critic. He was born in 1812 in Portsmouth. When his father was sent to jail because of unsettled debt, Dickens had to leave school and get a job in a factory. Although he lacked formal education and never had a chance to finish his schooling, Dickens successfully edited a weekly journal for 20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, gave lectures and performed readings, and lobbied passionately for social reforms in general, and children's rights in particular. Dickens is believed to be the best novelist of the Victorian era and he became very popular during his lifetime. His novels are still widely read and translated. A Tale of Two Cities is a historical fiction first published in weekly installments in 1859. The plot takes place in London and Paris between 1775 and 1792. Eighteenth-century France and England are both ruled by fear and oppression. The upper classes live in luxury while common people suffer and starve. However, there is a difference. The novel starts with the words, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times” and we soon learn of the major difference between the two countries. In A Christmas Carol a mean old man named Ebenezer Scrooge sits at his office on a cold Christmas Eve. His clerk, Bob Cratchit, shivers with cold because Scrooge refuses to spend money on heating. Scrooge's nephew, Fred, visits him and invites him to a Christmas party, as he does every year. Two gentlemen drop by and ask Scrooge for a contribution to their charity. Scrooge reacts to both his nephew and the two gentlemen with bitterness and venom. Later that evening, after returning to his dark, cold apartment, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his dead partner, Jacob Marley. The story of The Chimes concerns a working class man who comes to believe that he is worthless and worries that working-class people are wicked by nature. On New Year's Eve, some goblins show him visions of what will become of his loved ones if they are allowed to continue believing that they are worthless and wicked. Enjoy this timeless classic collection!
Public Domain (P)2021 Chronos Publishing
The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Summary
Audible presents an original production of the aptly named The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Charles Dickens’ final, unfinished novel. Following his untimely death at the age of 58, Dickens managed to publish only six of the 12 planned instalments of the story. Though it has gone on to be one of his more popular titles and the source of inspiration for various television, stage and theatre adaptations, no one knows exactly how Dickens planned to end the mystery. This has lent to development of many different theories, but it now relies on you to provide the answers; can you solve The Mystery of Edwin Drood? This editions features an exclusive afterword written and narrated by Lucinda Hawksley, who holds the unique position of being one of the world’s leading experts on Dickens, and also his great-great-great granddaughter. About the book Upon his coming of age, Edwin Drood is contracted to marry Rosa Bud and thus fulfil his father’s greatest wish: that his son be wed to his best friend’s daughter. Unbeknownst to his jealous and malicious uncle, John Jasper, who desperately longs for young Rosa, the couple are not romantically inclined and soon decide to break off their engagement. When Edwin suspiciously disappears on a stormy night, he leaves behind him a trail of evidence which looks to incriminate the very people closest to him. Alone and vulnerable, Rosa fears John Jasper’s looming presence and turns to the high-spirited but hot-tempered Neville Landless, and his kindly twin sister, Helena, for protection. In this classic whodunit, set in the sinister town of Cloisterham, Dickens paints a disturbing picture of the popular vices of the day, including the many opium dens that John Jasper frequents to live out his drug-fuelled fantasy of marrying Rosa. Would such a man be capable of murdering his own nephew, or could it be Edwin’s closest friends that betrayed his trust? You tell us.... About the author With his father incarcerated, Charles Dickens had to abandon his studies at a young age and set to work in a factory so as to support himself. Despite his short-lived education, Dickens went on to write 15 novels, various articles, novellas and short stories. These include Hard Times, Bleak House, Oliver Twist, Barnaby Rudge, Little Dorrit and A Tale of Two Cities. He lectured and led campaigns for children's rights and education and arguably became the ultimate self-made man. Dickens passed away on 9 June 1870 and was laid to rest at the Poet’s Corner in Westminster Abbey.
Public Domain (P)2019 Audible, Ltd
![Cover art for El Retrato de Dorian Gray [The Picture of Dorian Gray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51-TZhqv9NL._SL500_.jpg)
El Retrato de Dorian Gray [The Picture of Dorian Gray]
Summary
La novela relata la historia de Dorian Gray, mezclando realidad y fantasía. Un joven atractivo y exitoso desarrolla la obsesión por mantenerse siempre joven, después de que el pintor Basil Hallward, su amigo, lo relata soberbiamente en un lienzo. Todas las huellas de sus depravados actos y los estragos del paso de tiempo se traspasan a la pintura, permaneciendo él inmutable, lanzándose así en una espiral de odio y vicio. Oscar Wilde supo relatar a la perfección, con gran ojo critico, tanto la sociedad de su época (plena época victoriana a finales del siglo XIX), como el tema de la vanidad, la locura y la enajenación. Su perfección como retratista y sus descripciones cautivan al oyente de modo sin igual. Please note: This audiobook is in Spanish.
©2007 Mediatek S.A (P)2007 Mediatek S.A
![Cover art for I misteri di Parigi [The Mysteries of Paris]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51aKBnAds-L._SL500_.jpg)
I misteri di Parigi [The Mysteries of Paris]
Summary
Eugène Sue (1804 -1857) è stato uno scrittore francese, noto soprattutto per i suoi romanzi d'appendice a carattere sociale: I misteri di Parigi furono pubblicati a puntate nel Journal des débats , nel 1842-1843 suscitando un enorme interesse, tanto in Francia che all'estero. Questa edizione italiana del 1935 è ridotta, per rispettare i gusti del pubblico italiano dell’epoca; ha mantenuto però intatta la struttura dell’opera e l’avvincente intreccio e caratterizzazione dei personaggi. Cornice musicale: Il cigno di Camille Saint Saens. Please note: This audiobook is in Italian.
Public Domain (P)2012 Silvia Cecchini
Jules Verne Collection
Summary
From the pen of one of the literary world’s finest explorers of the imagination, these classic tales of fantastical habitats and intrepid adventurers delve deep into every mysterious corner of planet Earth. Discover the lost city of Atlantis in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, encounter prehistoric sea monsters below the earth’s crust in Journey to the Center of the Earth, circumnavigate the globe by sea, air, and land in Around the World in Eighty Days and find yourself marooned in the Pacific in The Mysterious Island. Whether you’ve adventured with Verne before or are only just setting off on your maiden voyage, this collection encompasses the most extraordinary adventures the father of science fiction has to offer.
Public Domain (P)2020 Mason D. Gray
D. H. Lawrence: A BBC Radio Collection
Summary
Dramatisations and readings of selected works by DH Lawrence - plus a radio play by Dan Allum and two bonus documentaries exploring Lawrence’s life and writings.
Crowned ‘the greatest imaginative novelist of our generation’ by EM Forster, DH Lawrence has an undisputed place in England's canon of great authors. In this wide-ranging collection, dramatisations and readings of some of his major works are brought together, exploring themes such as romantic love and sexual desire, individual freedom, class division, war, the beauty of nature and the ugliness of industrialisation.
This rich and varied anthology contains the radio productions of five of Lawrence’s classic novels, and nine short stories and novellas. It includes: Goose Fair, The Christening, Daughters of the Vicar, Her Turn, Love Among the Haystacks, The Shades of Spring, Sons and Lovers, The Rainbow, Women in Love, The Fox, The Ladybird, Kangaroo, Rawdon’s Roof and Lady Chatterley’s Lover.
Also featured is an original radio drama by Dan Allum, The Gypsy (inspired by Lawrence’s The Virgin and the Gypsy), while two bonus radio documentaries - Great Lives and Michael Rosen: On the Trail of DH Lawrence - provide further insight into the inner life of the controversial author.
Due to the archive nature of these recordings, sound quality may vary. With thanks to Keith Wickham, Greg Linden and Roy McMillan.
The full list of narrators also includes Samuel Edward-Cook and Stella Gonet.
©2019 BBC Worldwide Ltd (P)2019 BBC Worldwide Ltd
Le Bal
Summary
Récemment passés de la gêne à l'opulence, M. et Mme Kampf décident de donner un bal. Leur fille Antoinette, qui vient d'avoir quatorze ans, rêverait d'y assister. Mais Mme Kampf, peu soucieuse de présenter à ses admirateurs une fille déjà si grande, oppose un refus formel. Antoinette ne préméditera pas sa vengeance : elle l'accomplira d'un geste, dans un état second... Elle sera terrible. Par la cruauté et la drôlerie, par le courant de tendresse étouffé qui traverse ce petit livre étincelant, Le Bal est un des très rares chefs-d'œuvre consacrés à la description des tourments de l'enfance. Le grand talent d'Irène Jacob parvient à donner à ce livre audio étincelant et cruel la douloureuse résonnance que lui vaut la mort tragique de son auteur.
© Editions Grasset et Fasquelle, 1930© et (p) Audiolib 2011
The House of the Seven Gables
Summary
"To inherit a great fortune. To inherit a great misfortune." These words, from Nathaniel Hawthorne's notebook, neatly encapsulate the theme of The House of the Seven Gables - that of a family whose fortunes are poisoned by its past misdeeds. The sins of the Pyncheon father are visited upon his children over a period of several generations, until such time as one of his descendants unites with a member of the family he has wronged. Love conquers hate, and new blood washes away the original crime. This intriguing and insightful novel truly deserves its significant place in the canon of American literature.
Public Domain (P)1996 NAXOS AudioBooks Ltd.
Lord Jim
Summary
Narrated by Graham Scott Idealistic parson's son Jim goes to sea thirsting for adventure as the mate of the pilgrim ship Patna. However, when disaster looms, Jim is persuaded by his crewmates to abandon the ship, leaving the vessel and hundreds of passengers to their fate. But with his life in ruins, Jim alone has the courage to face up to the public censure which follows, piquing the interest of Captain Marlow, who befriends Jim and relates the tale of the young man's attempts to come to terms with his guilt and make an honorable future for himself. Production copyright 2021 Voices of Today
Public Domain (P)2021 Voices of Today
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Summary
Oscar Wilde's only novel, given a superbly splendid modern reading by the talented Rupert Graves. Many classic Wilde quotes emanate from this horror novel.
(P)1993, 2002 CSA Telltapes Ltd.
El Pozo y el Pendulo
Summary
El pozo y el péndulo (título original en inglés: The Pit and the Pendulum) es uno de los cuentos más famosos y celebrados de Edgar Allan Poe. Está considerado como uno de los relatos más espeluznantes dentro de la literatura de terror, pues transmite el abandono, la desorientación, el desconcierto y la desesperanza de una persona que sabe que va a morir.
©2019 Edgar Allan Poe (P)2019 Pegasus Classics
Pride and Prejudice
Summary
Pride and Prejudice is a romantic novel of manners written by Jane Austen in 1813. The novel follows the character development of Elizabeth Bennet, the dynamic protagonist of the book who learns about the repercussions of hasty judgments and comes to appreciate the difference between superficial goodness and actual goodness. Its humour lies in its honest depiction of manners, education, marriage, and money during the Regency era in Great Britain. Jane Austen (1775-1817)
Public Domain (P)2021 Calm Radio