Lilian (Unabridged) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A Novel of Edwardian Manners, Class, Desire, and the Hidden Drama of Ordinary LifeBy Arnold Bennet
Length6h 11m
About this audiobook
Lilian (Unabridged) is a finely observed novel of manners and moral inquiry, centred on a woman whose emotional life unfolds amid the pressures of class, money, respectability, and desire in early twentieth-century England. Arnold Bennett's prose combines lucid realism with quiet irony, attending as closely to rooms, gestures, and social habits as to inner conflict. In literary context, the book belongs to Bennett's broader project of bringing provincial and middle-class experience into serious fiction, while also reflecting the transitional atmosphere between Victorian certainties and modern psychological complexity. Arnold Bennett, born in Hanley in the Staffordshire Potteries in 1867, drew deeply on the commercial, domestic, and social worlds he knew from youth and from his later career in journalism and letters. His fiction often explores ambition, constraint, self-fashioning, and the compromises imposed by convention. Lilian reflects his enduring interest in women's lives, not as decorative subjects, but as figures shaped by economic circumstance, emotional intelligence, and the codes of a changing society. This unabridged edition is recommended to readers who value subtle character study, social realism, and the humane precision of a major Edwardian novelist. It will especially appeal to admirers of Bennett's The Old Wives' Tale and to anyone interested in fiction that reveals the drama hidden within ordinary life.
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★★★★ 3.5 (247)
Includes Goodreads, LibraryThing, Amazon, StoryGraph
GenreGeneral Fiction, Romance
Length6 hrs 11 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateJul 10, 2013
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Lilian (Unabridged) (Annotated)
22PART III
2Introduction
23I:In the Hotel
3Synopsis
24II:The Big Yacht
4Historical Context
25III:The Casino
5Lilian (Unabridged)
26IV:Chemin de Fer[19]
Show all chaptersShow less
6PART I
27V:In the Hills
7I:The Girl Alone
28VI:The Benefactress
8II:Early Years
29VII:The Doctor
9III:Advice to the Young Beauty
30VIII:Marriage
10IV:The Clubman
31IX:The Widow
11V:The Devotee
32X:The Wreath
12VI:The Telephone
33PART IV
13PART II
34I:The Return
14I:The Suicide
35II:Miss Grig
15II:The Malady
36III:The Lieutenant
16III:Shut
37IV:The New Employer
17IV:The Vizier
38V:Layette
18V:The Martyr
39Analysis
19VI:The Invitation
40Reflection
20VII:The Avowal
41Memorable Quotes
21VIII:Philosophy of the Grey-haired
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