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
The Complete Works of Edward Bulwer-LyttonEdward Bulwer-Lytton556h 9m$1.99 · $0.00
Gesammelte Romane und Erzählungen: Die letzten Tage von Pompeji + Das Geschlecht der Zukunft + Das Haus des schwarzen Magiers + Die Pilger des Rheins + Paul Clifford und mehr (Kommentiert)Edward Bulwer-Lytton133h 42m$1 · $0.00
Das Geschlecht der Zukunft (Kommentiert)Edward Bulwer-Lytton7h 12m3.7 (143)$1 · $0.00
Godolphin (Kommentiert)Edward Bulwer-Lytton16h 13m$1 · $0.00
The Greatest Gothich Novels of Edward Bulwer-Lytton (Annotated)Edward Bulwer-Lytton53h$2 · $0.00
The Last Days of Pompeii (Annotated)Edward Bulwer-Lytton17h 50m$2 · $0.00
Ausgewählte Romane und Erzählungen von Edward Bulwer-Lytton (Kommentiert)Edward Bulwer-Lytton133h 42m$1 · $0.00
Zanoni (Annotated)Edward Bulwer-Lytton17h 9m4.4 (301)$2 · $0.00
Die Pilger des Rheins (Die ideale Welt) (Kommentiert)Edward Bulwer-Lytton11h 56m$1 · $0.00
Eugen Aram: Kriminalroman (Kommentiert)Edward Bulwer-Lytton21h 40m4.1 (13)$1 · $0.00
LOST IN ROME (Annotated)Edward Bulwer-Lytton37h 38m$2 · $0.00
The Coming RaceEdward Bulwer-Lytton6h 34m3.4 (2.7K)$2 · $0.00
Rienzi, Last of the Roman TribunesEdward Bulwer-Lytton20h 36m3.9 (77)$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 41m3.8 (18.8K)$1 · $0.00
Die letzten Tage von Pompeji (Historischer Roman)Edward Bulwer-Lytton20h 39m3.8 (19.2K)$2 · $0.00
The Rose CodeKate Quinn16h 2m4.4 (493.7K)$33 · $0.00
Crime and Punishment (The Unabridged Garnett Translation) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoevsky24h 25m4.5 (15.4K)$1.99 · $0.00
Three ComradesErich Maria Remarque15h 50m4.5 (47.3K)$2 · $0.00
AngelAnita Waller10h 30m4.6 (672)$30 · $0.00
The BorderDon Winslow29h 8m4.5 (35.7K)$53 · $0.00
FlashpointCatherine Coulter11h 38m4.5 (11.6K)$29 · $0.00
The Man in the Brown Suit & They Came to BaghdadAgatha Christie15h 43m4.6 (495)$33 · $0.00
Fang Si-Chi's First Love ParadiseYi-Han Lin8h 25m4.5 (4K)$26 · $0.00
No Woman Left BehindJulie Moffett8h 49m4.5 (3K)$25 · $0.00
CovertJanie Crouch6h 15m4.5 (2K)$12 · $0.00
Cold Case InvestigationNicole Helm5h 30m4.6 (321)$5 · $0.00
The ReunionJana DeLeon6h 31m4.5 (1.6K)$12 · $0.00
Courage Under FireSharon Dunn5h 50m4.5 (730)$24 · $0.00
Decoding the TruthJulie Miller7h 31m4.6 (350)$12 · $0.00
Murder Gone ColdB.J. Daniels5h 50m4.5 (562)$12 · $0.00
Crime and PunishmentFyodor Dostoyevsky23h 14m4.4 (1.3M)$1 · $0.00
Exit FeeBrad Taylor3h 16m4.5 (1.9K)$18 · $0.00
Sworn to ProtectShirlee McCoy5h 7m4.5 (1K)$12 · $0.00
The Alice NetworkKate Quinn15h 7m4.4 (887.1K)$33 · $0.00
The Last RemainsElly Griffiths9h 41m4.4 (37.3K)$29 · $0.00
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee12h 18m4.5 (7.4M)$29 · $0.00
These Precious DaysAnn Patchett11h 14m4.5 (45.2K)$29 · $0.00
Henry V (The Play, Historical Background and Analysis of the Character in the Play)William Shakespeare, William Hazlitt8h 40m4.6 (1.3K)$1 · $0.00
H. P. LOVECRAFT Ultimate Collection: Novellas, Short Stories, Poetry & Essays (Annotated)H. P. Lovecraft12h 28m4.6 (2.3K)$2 · $0.00
Time RegainedMarcel Proust15h 54m4.5 (10.6K)$2 · $0.00
TORAH - Bilingual Edition: English/Hebrew (Annotated)Max Margolis, JPS28h 26m4.6 (1K)$2 · $0.00
Betty Crocker picture cooky bookBetty Crocker, Inc. General Mills2h 13m4.5 (6.5K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Tales of Beatrix PotterBeatrix Potter3h 36m4.5 (75K)$3 · $0.00
Crime and Punishment (The Unabridged Garnett Translation) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoevsky24h 25m4.5 (15.4K)$1.99 · $0.00
The North American IndianEdward S. Curtis, Frederick Webb Hodge6h4.5 (1.2K)$2 · $0.00
The Picture of Dorian Gray: The Uncensored 13 Chapter Version + The Revised 20 Chapter Version (Annotated)Oscar Wilde16h 12m4.5 (2.8K)$1.99 · $0.00
Grimoire Of The Everyday WitchIsadora Lys / Virginia Santos5h 35m4.5 (3.9K)$9 · $0.00
Winnie-the-PoohAlan Alexander Milne2h 52m4.5 (401.1K)$3 · $0.00
Sitting PrettyRebekah Taussig7h 33m4.5 (18.9K)$26 · $0.00
The Poetic Edda & The Prose EddaSnorri Sturluson, Saemund Sigfusson9h 34m4.5 (4K)$1 · $0.00
The Complete Satires & Essays of Mark Twain (Annotated)Mark Twain23h 21m4.5 (1.1K)$2 · $0.00
Rilla of InglesideLucy Maud Montgomery10h 58m4.5 (46.7K)$1 · $0.00
The Posthumous Memoirs Of Brás CubasMachado De Assis7h 39m4.4 (120.4K)$5 · $0.00
The Iliad & The OdysseyHomer25h 12m4.4 (39K)$12 · $0.00
The Ladies' Paradise (Vizetelly Translation, Unabridged) (Annotated)Émile Zola19h 34m4.5 (1.2K)$2 · $0.00
You may also like
The Reluctant KingK’wan6h 22m4.4 (1.7K)$17
Crime and PunishmentFyodor Dostoevsky23h 11m4.4 (1.3M)$12 · $0.00
Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Complete Works (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoyevsky271h 33m4.5 (731)$2 · $0.00
American WomanSusan Choi15h 21m3.6 (3K)$23
CounterfeitKirstin Chen7h 21m3.6 (129K)$24 · $0.00
CRIME AND PUNISHMENTFyodor Dostoevsky24h 15m4.4 (1.2M)$1 · $0.00
Catching the Wolf of Wall StreetJordan Belfort16h 39m4.2 (5.3K)$28 · $0.00
Eden MineS. M. Hulse9h 50m4.0 (1.6K)$20 · $0.00
Animal 2K’wan9h 36m4.6 (4.4K)$20
Crime and PunishmentFyodor Dostoyevsky20h 57m4.4 (1.2M)$18 · $0.00
AstorAnderson Cooper, Katherine Howe8h 19m4.1 (22.3K)$5 · $0.00
The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead WilsonMark Twain5h 53m3.9 (29.4K)$14
The Coyotes of CarthageSteven Wright9h 6m3.9 (8.5K)$29 · $0.00
Under Western EyesJoseph Conrad12h 33m4.0 (14.1K)$2.30
The Good TerroristDoris Lessing13h 45m3.8 (6.4K)$25
When Corruption Was KingRobert Cooley11h 5m4.3 (973)$23
Crime and PunishmentFyodor Dostoyevsky22h 46m4.4 (1.3M)$2.30
Crime and PunishmentFyodor Dostoyevsky22h 24m4.4 (1.3M)$2.30 · $0.00
Crime and Punishment (The Unabridged Garnett Translation) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoevsky24h 25m4.5 (15.4K)$1.99 · $0.00
Crazy TownRobyn Doolittle10h 54m3.9 (1.5K)$20