Select Conversations With An Uncle & 2 Other Reminiscences (The original 1895 edition) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Witty Victorian Social Satire and 1890s Comic EssaysBy H. G. Wells
Length3h 22m
About this audiobook
Select Conversations With An Uncle & 2 Other Reminiscences presents H. G. Wells in a nimble, comic mode, staging urbane exchanges with a shrewd, often paradoxical uncle whose opinions illuminate the absurdities of late-Victorian manners, education, politics, and intellectual fashion. The original 1895 edition belongs to the periodical culture from which Wells emerged, and its style is conversational, ironic, and sharply observant, closer to the familiar essay and satirical sketch than to the scientific romance for which he soon became famous. Wells's formation helps explain the book's alertness to social performance and received ideas. Born in 1866 to a lower-middle-class family, apprenticed unhappily in trade, and later educated in science under T. H. Huxley, he combined the outsider's sensitivity to class with the analyst's habit of questioning assumptions. His early journalism, precarious health, and rapid ascent into London literary life gave him both the material and the tone: amused, skeptical, and intellectually restless. This volume is recommended to readers who want to encounter Wells before and beside The Time Machine: a witty essayist testing voices, arguments, and social diagnoses. It is especially valuable for students of fin-de-siècle prose, Victorian humor, and the evolution of a major modern imagination.
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.
- The Author Biography highlights personal milestones and literary influences that shape the entire body of writing.
- 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★★★ 3.2 (127)
Includes Goodreads, LibraryThing, StoryGraph
GenreLiterary Classics
Length3 hrs 22 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateSep 5, 2013
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Select Conversations With An Uncle & 2 Other Reminiscences (The original 1895 edition) (Annotated)
2Introduction
3Author Biography
4Historical Context
5Synopsis (Selection)
Show all chaptersShow less
6Select Conversations With An Uncle & 2 Other Reminiscences (The original 1895 edition)
71. OF CONVERSATION AND THE ANATOMY OF FASHION
82. THE THEORY OF THE PERPETUAL DISCOMFORT OF HUMANITY
93. THE USE OF IDEALS
104. THE ART OF BEING PHOTOGRAPHED
115. BAGSHOT’S MURAL DECORATIONS
126. ON SOCIAL MUSIC
137. THE JOYS OF BEING ENGAGED
148. LA BELLE DAME SANS MERCI
159. ON A TRICYCLE
1610. AN UNSUSPECTED MASTERPIECE (AUTHORESS UNKNOWN)
1711. THE GREAT CHANGE
1812. THE PAINS OF MARRIAGE
19OTHER REMINISCENCES
201. A MISUNDERSTOOD ARTIST
212. THE MAN WITH A NOSE
22Analysis
23Reflection
24Memorable Quotes
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