Curiosities of Literature (Vol. 1-3) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Complete EditionBy Isaac Disraeli
Length72h 42m
About this audiobook
Curiosities of Literature (Vol. 1–3) is a capacious treasury of literary anecdote, intellectual history, and bibliographical reflection, ranging from neglected authors and eccentric scholars to the habits, misfortunes, quarrels, and triumphs of the republic of letters. Written in an elegant, digressive essay style, it belongs to the late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century culture of learned miscellany, where erudition is made sociable and archival oddity becomes a means of understanding literary civilization. Isaac Disraeli, an English man of letters born into a Sephardic Jewish family, devoted his life to reading, collecting, and interpreting books. Father of the statesman Benjamin Disraeli, he was himself a serious literary historian whose private scholarship and love of libraries shaped his vision of authorship. His sensitivity to exclusion, reputation, and the precarious lives of writers informs the humane curiosity that animates these volumes. This work is warmly recommended to readers interested in the hidden life of literature: its forgotten controversies, marginal figures, and revealing peculiarities. Scholars, bibliophiles, and general readers alike will find in Disraeli a guide who transforms learned fragments into enduring cultural insight.
This enriched edition has been carefully crafted to add value to your reading experience.
- A comprehensive Introduction outlines these selected works' unifying features, themes, or stylistic evolutions.
- A Historical Context section situates the works in their broader era—social currents, cultural trends, and key events that underpin their creation.
- A concise Synopsis (Selection) offers an accessible overview of the included texts, helping readers navigate plotlines and main ideas without revealing critical twists.
- A unified Analysis examines recurring motifs and stylistic hallmarks across the collection, tying the stories together while spotlighting the different work's strengths.
- Reflection questions inspire deeper contemplation of the author's overarching message, inviting readers to draw connections among different texts and relate them to modern contexts.
- Lastly, our hand‐picked Memorable Quotes distill pivotal lines and turning points, serving as touchstones for the collection's central themes.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 4.0 (479)
Includes Goodreads, LibraryThing, Amazon, StoryGraph
GenreLiterary Classics
Length72 hrs 42 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJan 28, 2021
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
26EARLY PRINTING.
2Introduction
27ERRATA.
3Historical Context
28PATRONS.
4Synopsis (Selection)
29POETS, PHILOSOPHERS, AND ARTISTS, MADE BY ACCIDENT.
5VOLUME 1
30INEQUALITIES OF GENIUS.
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6ON THE LIFE AND WRITINGS OF MR. DISRAELI.
31GEOGRAPHICAL STYLE.
7PREFACE.
32LEGENDS.
8LIBRARIES.
33THE PORT-ROYAL SOCIETY.
9THE BIBLIOMANIA.
34THE PROGRESS OF OLD AGE IN NEW STUDIES.
10LITERARY JOURNALS.
35SPANISH POETRY.
11RECOVERY OF MANUSCRIPTS.
36SAINT EVREMOND.
12SKETCHES OF CRITICISM.
37MEN OF GENIUS DEFICIENT IN CONVERSATION.
13THE PERSECUTED LEARNED.
38VIDA.
14POVERTY OF THE LEARNED.
39THE SCUDERIES.
15IMPRISONMENT OF THE LEARNED.
40DE LA ROCHEFOUCAULT.
16AMUSEMENTS OF THE LEARNED.
41PRIOR'S HANS CARVEL.
17PORTRAITS OF AUTHORS.
42THE STUDENT IN THE METROPOLIS.
18DESTRUCTION OF BOOKS.
43THE TALMUD.
19SOME NOTICES OF LOST WORKS.
44RABBINICAL STORIES.
20QUODLIBETS, OR SCHOLASTIC DISQUISITIONS.
45ON THE CUSTOM OF SALUTING AFTER SNEEZING.
21FAME CONTEMNED.
46BONAVENTURE DE PERIERS.
22THE SIX FOLLIES OF SCIENCE.
47GROTIUS.
23IMITATORS.
48NOBLEMEN TURNED CRITICS.
24CICERO'S PUNS.
49LITERARY IMPOSTURES.
25PREFACES.
50CARDINAL RICHELIEU.
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