A Book (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Hybrid Modernist Poems, Stories, Plays, and Drawings of Bohemian Life, Gender, Desire, and Avant-Garde ExperimentBy Djuna Barnes
Length4h 18m
About this audiobook
Djuna Barnes's A Book (1923) is a strikingly heterogeneous collection of poems, short fiction, plays, and drawings that announces the author's modernist fascination with fractured identities, erotic ambiguity, grotesque humor, and theatrical excess. Its style moves between fin-de-siècle decadence and avant-garde compression, blending lyric intensity with satirical sharpness. Positioned within the experimental ferment of early twentieth-century Anglo-American modernism, the volume anticipates the darker, more intricate verbal textures of Barnes's later masterpiece Nightwood. Barnes, born in 1892 in New York State, was a journalist, illustrator, playwright, and central figure in bohemian and expatriate literary circles. Her experiences in Greenwich Village and, later, Paris exposed her to radical artistic communities and unconventional social arrangements. The book reflects her training in visual art, her journalistic eye for social performance, and her lifelong interest in gender, sexuality, marginality, and the masks by which people survive intimate and cultural violence. A Book is recommended to readers interested in modernism beyond its canonical pathways: experimental, witty, unsettling, and visually alert. It rewards those who enjoy hybrid forms and literary works that disturb easy categories while revealing a fiercely original artistic intelligence.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A succinct Introduction situates the work's timeless appeal and themes.
- The Synopsis outlines the central plot, highlighting key developments without spoiling critical twists.
- A detailed Historical Context immerses you in the era's events and influences that shaped the writing.
- A thorough Analysis dissects symbols, motifs, and character arcs to unearth underlying meanings.
- Reflection questions prompt you to engage personally with the work's messages, connecting them to modern life.
- Hand‐picked Memorable Quotes shine a spotlight on moments of literary brilliance.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 3.8 (12)
Includes Goodreads
GenreLiterary Classics
Length4 hrs 18 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 9, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
18144
2Introduction
19SIX SONGS OF KHALIDINE
3Historical Context
20THE DOVE
4Synopsis (Selection)
21MOTHER
5ILLUSTRATIONS
22SONG IN AUTUMN
Show all chaptersShow less
6A NIGHT AMONG THE HORSES
23THE NIGGER
730
24LULLABY
8THE VALET
25INDIAN SUMMER
958
26I’D HAVE YOU THINK OF ME
10BEYOND THE END
27THE RABBIT
11PASTORAL
28THE FLOWERING CORPSE
12102
29A BOY ASKS A QUESTION OF A LADY
13ANTIQUE
30FIRST COMMUNION
14KATRINA SILVERSTAFF
31FINIS
15HUSH BEFORE LOVE
32Analysis
16THE ROBIN’S HOUSE
33Reflection
17PARADISE
34Memorable Quotes
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