Paul Clifford (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Historical NovelBy Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Length20h 43m
About this audiobook
Edward Bulwer-Lytton's Paul Clifford (1830) is a vivid Newgate novel that fuses romance, social satire, and criminal biography into the story of a foundling who becomes a celebrated highwayman. Best remembered for its thunderous opening, "It was a dark and stormy night," the novel is far more than a stylistic curiosity: its ornate prose, theatrical plotting, and ironic treatment of respectability expose the blurred boundaries between crime, class privilege, and legal authority in early nineteenth-century Britain. Bulwer-Lytton, later Baron Lytton, was a prolific Victorian novelist, dramatist, politician, and public intellectual whose career bridged popular entertainment and reform-minded social commentary. His interest in legal injustice, aristocratic hypocrisy, and the formation of character under social pressure informs Paul Clifford throughout. Writing at a moment when debates over punishment, policing, and the death penalty were urgent, he used the sensational appeal of criminal fiction to question the moral legitimacy of the institutions that condemn criminals. Readers interested in Dickens, Gothic-inflected melodrama, or the origins of Victorian crime fiction will find Paul Clifford rewarding. Though stylistically extravagant, it remains a provocative and historically important novel about identity, power, and society's complicity in the making of outlaws.
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
GenreMystery and Thriller, Literary Classics
Length20 hrs 43 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateMay 7, 2021
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
24Chapter XVIII.
2Introduction
25Chapter XIX.
3Synopsis
26Chapter XX.
4Historical Context
27Chapter XXI.
5Preface to the Edition of 1840.
28Chapter XXII.
Show all chaptersShow less
6Preface to the Edition of 1848.
29Chapter XXIII.
7Chapter I.
30Chapter XXIV.
8Chapter II.
31Chapter XXV.
9Chapter III.
32Chapter XXVI.
10Chapter IV.
33Chapter XXVII.
11Chapter V.
34Chapter XXVIII.
12Chapter VI.
35Chapter XXIX.
13Chapter VII.
36Chapter XXX.
14Chapter VIII.
37Chapter XXXI.
15Chapter IX.
38Chapter XXXII
16Chapter X.
39Chapter XXXIII.
17Chapter XI.
40Chapter XXXIV.
18Chapter XII.
41Chapter XXXV.
19Chapter XIII
42Chapter XXXVI.
20Chapter XIV.
43Tomlinsoniana
21Chapter XV.
44Analysis
22Chapter XVI.
45Reflection
23Chapter XVII
46Memorable Quotes
Eugen Aram: Kriminalroman (Kommentiert)Edward Bulwer-Lytton21h 40m$1 · $0.00
LOST IN ROME (Annotated)Edward Bulwer-Lytton37h 38m$2 · $0.00
The Coming RaceEdward Bulwer-Lytton6h 34m$2 · $0.00
Rienzi, Last of the Roman TribunesEdward Bulwer-Lytton20h 36m$1 · $0.00
The Greatest Gothich Novels of Edward Bulwer-LyttonEdward Bulwer-Lytton53h 15m$1 · $0.00
EDWARD BULWER-LYTTON Ultimate Collection: Novels, Plays, Poems & Essays (Annotated)Edward Bulwer-Lytton559h 4m$2 · $0.00
Die Pilger des RheinsEdward Bulwer-Lytton10h 48m$2 · $0.00
Back in Roman TimesEdward Bulwer-Lytton37h 33m$1 · $0.00
Die letzten Tage von Pompeji: Historischer RomanEdward Bulwer-Lytton20h 41m$1 · $0.00
Die letzten Tage von Pompeji (Historischer Roman)Edward Bulwer-Lytton20h 39m$2 · $0.00
Das Geschlecht der ZukunftEdward Bulwer-Lytton6h 9m$2 · $0.00
The Coming RaceEdward Bulwer-Lytton5h 48m$2 · $0.00
The Tales of Haunted Nights (Gothic Horror: Bulwer-Lytton-Series)Edward Bulwer-Lytton52h 6m$2 · $0.00
ZanoniEdward Bulwer-Lytton17h 4m$2 · $0.00
Eugen AramEdward Bulwer-Lytton21h 32m$1 · $0.00
Zanoni & RizziEdward Bulwer-Lytton17h 4m$1 · $0.00
Kenelm ChillinglyEdward Bulwer-Lytton26h 19m$1 · $0.00
Die letzten Tage von Pompeji (Historischer Roman) (Kommentiert)Edward Bulwer-Lytton21h 57m$1 · $0.00
Rienzi, Last of the Roman Tribunes (Annotated)Edward Bulwer-Lytton20h 40m$2 · $0.00
Midnight ShadowsS.E. Smith5h 40m$17
CollateralBrian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson13h 8m$23
The Complete Sherlock Holmes Novels & Stories (4 Novels + 56 Short Stories) (Annotated)Arthur Conan Doyle73h 13m$2 · $0.00
The ReunionJana Deleon6h 31m$26 · $0.00
Animal 3K’wan6h 33m$20
To Hold and ProtectSandra Owens7h 59m$8 · $0.00
Extinction WarNicholas Sansbury Smith12h 1m$23
Savy WisdomPeggy McColl2h 53m$15
3 a.m. Premium: Books 1–5Nick Pirog15h 27m$25
The Labyrinth of the SpiritsCarlos Ruiz Zafon27h 55m$53 · $0.00
Tracing Killer EvidenceJodie Bailey5h 46m$12 · $0.00
AGATHA CHRISTIE Premium CollectionAgatha Christie37h 15m$2 · $0.00
Sign of the MakerBrian Shea7h 13m$17
No Sin UnpunishedLynDee Walker7h 43m$17
Sherlock HolmesMade for Success14h 22m$25
Sons of War 4: SoldiersNicholas Sansbury Smith, Tom Abrahams12h 54m$25
Murder in the TowerRoy Lewis8h 23m$20
Glen AffricKarine Giebel22h 51m$46 · $0.00
JAMES BOND 007 Complete CollectionIan Fleming102h 36m$2 · $0.00
Deadly Badlands PursuitSharee Stover5h 53m$12 · $0.00
Sherlock Holmes: The Ultimate CollectionArthur Conan Doyle59h 49m$5 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Novels, Short Stories and Autobiographical WritingsFyodor Dostoyevsky270h 59m$2 · $0.00
The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America (Annotated)Howard Irving Chapelle, Tappan Adney13h 10m$2 · $0.00
Charles Dickens: Complete Works (Annotated)Charles Dickens819h 4m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Jane Austen & Brontë Sisters (Annotated)Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë204h 15m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works: Charlotte, Emily, Anne, Patrick & Branwell BrontëCharlotte Brontë, Anne Brontë, Emily Brontë138h 12m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde (Annotated)Oscar Wilde126h 19m$2 · $0.00
L. M. Montgomery – Premium Collection: Novels, Short Stories, Poetry & MemoirsLucy Maud Montgomery155h 1m$2 · $0.00
MARK TWAIN: 12 Novels, 195 Short Stories, Autobiography, 10 Travel Books, 160+ Essays & Speeches (Illustrated)Mark Twain415h 9m5 (2)$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works of William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare89h 26m$3.50 · $0.00
The Great Gatsby: Original 1925 Edition (An F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic NovelFrancis Scott Fitzgerald4h 45m$18 · $0.00
The Brontë Sisters: The Complete Novels (Unabridged) (Annotated)Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë120h 3m$2 · $0.00
All NovelsGeorge Orwell53h 48m$10 · $0.00
The Complete Works of TolstoyLeo Tolstoy412h 44m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Louisa May Alcott (Annotated)Louisa May Alcott226h 24m$2 · $0.00
Sherlock Holmes series - completeArthur Conan54h 8m$3.50 · $0.00
The Fire Next TimeJames Baldwin2h 25m$15
The Count of Monte Cristo (With Original Illustrations)Alexandre Dumas54h$1 · $0.00
The Complete Books of F. Scott Fitzgerald (all his 5 novels + all 4 short story collections published during his lifetime)F. Scott Fitzgerald87h 43m$1 · $0.00
Braving the TruthRachel Held Evans11h 31m$29 · $0.00
You may also like
The Reluctant KingK’wan6h 22m$17
Felonious MonkWilliam Kotzwinkle10h 1m$20
In Pursuit of BeautyGary Baum10h 30m$25
Crime and PunishmentFyodor Dostoevsky23h 11m$12 · $0.00
Bed-Stuy Is BurningBrian Platzer9h 2m$23 · $0.00
American WomanSusan Choi15h 21m$23
CounterfeitKirstin Chen7h 21m$24 · $0.00
CRIME AND PUNISHMENTFyodor Dostoevsky24h 15m$1 · $0.00
Sins of Our FathersShawn Lawrence Otto10h 36m$20 · $0.00
Catching the Wolf of Wall StreetJordan Belfort16h 39m$28 · $0.00
Harms’ WayThomas Rayfiel7h 30m$20
Eden MineS. M. Hulse9h 50m$20 · $0.00
Animal 2K’wan9h 36m$20
A-RodSelena Roberts6h 16m$24 · $0.00
Crime and PunishmentFyodor Dostoyevsky20h 57m$18 · $0.00
AstorAnderson Cooper, Katherine Howe8h 19m$5 · $0.00
FrostbiteEric Pete5h 46m$17
Lessons of RedemptionKevin Shird7h 9m$20
The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead WilsonMark Twain5h 53m$14
The Coyotes of CarthageSteven Wright9h 6m$29 · $0.00