High Rising (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. An Interwar English Village Comedy of Manners, Literary Vanity, and Barsetshire Social SatireBy Angela Margaret Thirkell
Length9h 3m
About this audiobook
High Rising (1933) inaugurates Angela Thirkell's Barsetshire novels with a deft comedy of manners set among writers, widows, children, and village notables. Its heroine, Laura Morland, a successful author of school stories, observes domestic intrigues with brisk intelligence as ambition, romance, and literary vanity disturb the seeming calm of High Rising. Written in a supple, ironic prose indebted to Austen and Trollope, the novel transforms everyday social friction into elegant satire. Thirkell (1890–1961), born into a distinguished literary and artistic family, was the daughter of classical scholar J. W. Mackail and granddaughter of Edward Burne-Jones; Rudyard Kipling was a family connection. Her education, marriages, years in Australia, and professional dependence on writing all inform Laura Morland's practical wit and worldly resilience. By borrowing Trollope's imaginary Barsetshire, Thirkell knowingly places her fiction within a Victorian tradition while updating it for interwar anxieties. This is an ideal book for readers who enjoy intelligent social comedy, sharply drawn minor characters, and the pleasures of civilized irony. High Rising offers lightness without triviality: beneath its charm lies a precise understanding of authorship, class, gender, and emotional self-deception.
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.
- Interactive footnotes clarify unusual references, historical allusions, and archaic phrases for an effortless, more informed read.
Audiobook details
Rating★★★★ 3.9 (4.1K)
Includes Goodreads, LibraryThing, Amazon, StoryGraph
GenreHumor, General Fiction
Length9 hrs 3 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 4, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
13IX EMBARRASSING AFTERNOON
2Introduction
14X MODERN LOVE
3Synopsis
15XI AN AUTHOR IN THE SICK-ROOM
4Historical Context
16XII THE SHAKESPEARE TRADITION
5I THE PRIZEGIVING
17XIII SPRING INTERLUDE
Show all chaptersShow less
6II HIGH RISING
18XIV GEORGE KNOX MEETS HIS MATCH
7III LOW RISING
19XV END OF AN INCUBUS
8IV CHRISTMAS EVE
20XVI THE LAST WORD
9V EMBARRASSING EVENING
21Analysis
10VI NEW YEAR’S DAY
22Reflection
11VII AN AUTHOR AT HOME
23Memorable Quotes
12VIII LUNCH AND THE GENTLEST ART
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