The Crocodile (Unabridged) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A satirical tragicomedy of a civil servant swallowed whole, absurd bureaucracy, and philosophical humor in 19th-century RussiaBy Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Length3h 18m
About this audiobook
The Crocodile (Unabridged) is one of Dostoyevsky's sharpest comic satires: a Petersburg civil servant, Ivan Matveich, is swallowed whole by a crocodile exhibited in a shopping arcade, yet continues to speak, scheme, and theorize from within the beast. The tale's grotesque premise becomes a vehicle for mocking bureaucracy, speculative capitalism, journalistic cant, and fashionable Westernizing ideas. Written in a brisk, ironic style, it belongs to Dostoyevsky's tradition of urban absurdity, recalling Gogol while anticipating modernist black comedy. Fyodor Dostoyevsky, shaped by exile in Siberia, financial insecurity, and intense engagement with the ideological controversies of nineteenth-century Russia, repeatedly turned fiction into a laboratory for moral and social inquiry. In this novella, composed during the 1860s, his comic imagination responds to debates about rational egoism, progress, and the reduction of human life to economic calculation. Even at his most playful, Dostoyevsky probes the spiritual emptiness beneath confident modern formulas. This unabridged edition is recommended to readers who know Dostoyevsky chiefly through his monumental tragedies and wish to encounter his mischievous, satirical intelligence. Brief, strange, and densely suggestive, The Crocodile rewards anyone interested in Russian literature, political satire, or the comic origins of existential unease.
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.
- An Author Biography reveals milestones in the author's life, illuminating the personal insights behind the text.
- 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★★★★ 3.6 (8.8K)
Includes Goodreads, StoryGraph, LibraryThing, Amazon
GenreHumor, General Fiction
Length3 hrs 18 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateMay 24, 2015
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1The Crocodile (Unabridged) (Annotated)
7II
2Introduction
8III
3Synopsis
9IV
4Historical Context
10Analysis
5Author Biography
11Reflection
Show all chaptersShow less
6I
12Memorable Quotes
Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Memoirs, Letters and Autobiographical NovelsFyodor Dostoyevsky39h 40m$1.99 · $0.00
An Unpleasant Predicament: A Nasty Story (Unabridged) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoyevsky4h 4m3.7 (6.6K)$2 · $0.00
Another Man's Wife And A Husband Under The Bed (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoyevsky3h 23m3.9 (2.8K)$2 · $0.00
The House of the Dead & Notes from Underground: Autobiographical Novels of Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoyevsky18h 40m$2 · $0.00
An Unpleasant Predicament: A Nasty Story (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoyevsky3h 56m3.7 (6.6K)$2 · $0.00
The Double - Psychological Thriller (Unabridged) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoyevsky8h 31m$2 · $0.00
Complete Short Stories and Novellas of Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Unabridged) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoyevsky71h 55m4.5 (2.8K)$2 · $0.00
The Double - Psychological Thriller (Classic Unabridged Edition) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoyevsky8h 29m4.4 (1.2K)$2 · $0.00
Poor Folk and Other Stories (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoyevsky22h 43m3.9 (1.1K)$2 · $0.00
El crimen y el castigo (Anotado)Fyodor Dostoyevsky22h 27m4.4 (175)$1.99 · $0.00
Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy: The Major NovelsFyodor Dostoyevsky, Leo Tolstoy154h 47m4.3 (248)$135 · $0.00
Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Complete Works (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoyevsky271h 33m4.5 (731)$2 · $0.00
The Crocodile (Classic Unabridged Edition) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoyevsky3h 9m3.6 (8.3K)$2 · $0.00
Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Memoirs, Letters and Autobiographical Works (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoyevsky40h 55m$2 · $0.00
Complete Novels of Fyodor Dostoyevsky (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoyevsky225h 57m4.6 (683)$2 · $0.00
Short Stories (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoyevsky10h 16m$2 · $0.00
Another Man's Wife And A Husband Under The Bed (Unabridged) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoyevsky3h 32m3.0 (5.1K)$2 · $0.00
PelaajaFyodor Dostoyevsky5h4.0 (124.4K)$2 · $0.00
Notes from the UndergroundFyodor Dostoyevsky5h 45m4.2 (300.5K)$1 · $0.00
Uncle's Dream; and The Permanent HusbandFyodor Dostoyevsky12h 6m3.8 (63)$2 · $0.00
Lost In TranslationAudrey Davis9h 15m4.4 (235)$17 · $0.00
Love That StoryJonathan Van Ness5h 44m4.2 (10.4K)$24 · $0.00
Welcome to PawneeJim O'Heir6h 24m4.5 (5.3K)$24 · $0.00
Going PostalTerry Pratchett13h 36m4.5 (163.8K)$33 · $0.00
Woman UninterruptedBrodie Kane7h 1m4.6 (562)$24 · $0.00
1984 & Animal Farm (Annotated)George Orwell15h 54m4.5 (220.8K)$3.99 · $0.00
Kingsblood Royal (Annotated)Sinclair Lewis14h 42m4.6 (264)$2 · $0.00
This Is Going to HurtAdam Kay5h 47m4.4 (444.7K)$24 · $0.00
You Will Get Through This NightDaniel Howell6h 56m4.4 (11.8K)$24 · $0.00
Northanger Abbey (Annotated)Jane Austen10h 7m4.5 (1.6K)$2 · $0.00
My Dear HamiltonStephanie Dray, Laura Kamoie23h 7m4.4 (63.6K)$46 · $0.00
THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS & SCREWTAPE PROPOSES A TOAST (Annotated)C. S. Lewis5h 6m4.4 (471K)$2 · $0.00
BufferingHannah Hart5h 55m4.4 (12.4K)$24 · $0.00
The House of Mirth (Annotated)Edith Wharton14h 25m4.3 (109.3K)$1.99 · $0.00
The Office BFFsJenna Fischer, Angela Kinsey8h 26m4.3 (45.4K)$26 · $0.00
The Collected Stories of Dorothy ParkerDorothy Parker8h 36m4.3 (13.6K)$1 · $0.00
LambChristopher Moore15h 22m4.3 (211.3K)$33 · $0.00
#IMomSoHardKristin Hensley, Jen Smedley7h 19m4.3 (7.3K)$24 · $0.00
Mixed PlateJo Koy8h 18m4.3 (7.1K)$26 · $0.00
Over the TopJonathan Van Ness5h 50m4.3 (87.3K)$24 · $0.00
WhistlerAnn Patchett10h 45m4.6 (4.6K)$29 · $0.00
Demon CopperheadBarbara Kingsolver21h 3m4.5 (949.4K)$46 · $0.00
To Kill a MockingbirdHarper Lee12h 18m4.5 (7.4M)$29 · $0.00
Remarkably Bright CreaturesShelby Van Pelt11h 17m4.4 (1.7M)$29 · $0.00
Something Like LoveBeverly Jenkins10h 21m4.6 (2.7K)$29 · $0.00
Black History CollectionFrederick Douglass, Harriet Ann Jacobs, Booker T. Washington, W.E.B. Du Bois27h 9m4.6 (2.6K)$18 · $0.00
The Old Man and the Sea (Annotated)Ernest Hemingway4h 27m4.6 (1.4K)$2 · $0.00
White HotIlona Andrews13h 18m4.5 (136.9K)$5 · $0.00
The Ghost by the Billabong (The Matilda Saga, #5)Jackie French14h 58m4.6 (773)$33 · $0.00
Cast in BloodMichelle Sagara16h 35m4.6 (607)$33 · $0.00
The Captain Blood Trilogy (Annotated)Rafael Sabatini29h 20m4.6 (1K)$3 · $0.00
Ship of the Line (Annotated)Cecil Louis Troughton Smith11h 13m4.6 (1K)$2 · $0.00
The George Orwell CollectionGeorge Orwell24h 46m4.5 (14.4K)$12 · $0.00
Time RegainedMarcel Proust15h 38m4.5 (9.2K)$2 · $0.00
Driving ForceElle James4h 58m4.6 (407)$20 · $0.00
When God Calls the HeartBrian Bird, Michelle Cox3h 24m4.6 (439)$10 · $0.00
Five Little IndiansMichelle Good10h 34m4.5 (64.5K)$29 · $0.00
Lolth's WarriorR. A. Salvatore13h 20m4.6 (2.4K)$33 · $0.00
The Things We Cannot SayKelly Rimmer13h 48m4.5 (359.1K)$33 · $0.00
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du BoisHonoree Fanonne Jeffers29h 49m4.5 (58K)$8 · $0.00
You may also like
BabbittSinclair Lewis11h 55m3.9 (35K)$23
Shooting an elephantGeorge Orwell20m4.2 (12.6K)$2 · $0.00
BabbittSinclair Lewis13h 51m3.9 (28.2K)$21 · $0.00
The Chronicles of ClovisSaki5h 53m4.1 (1.6K)$1.80 · $0.00
An Unpleasant Predicament: A Nasty Story (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoyevsky3h 56m3.7 (6.6K)$2 · $0.00
Oblomov (Annotated)Ivan Goncharov7h 27m4.2 (44.2K)$2 · $0.00
The Doctor's DilemmaBernard Shaw3h 29m3.6 (1.2K)$2 · $0.00
Pygmalion (Complete Illustrated Edition) (Annotated)George Bernard Shaw10h 56m4.2 (1.3K)$2 · $0.00
The Posthumous Memoirs Of Brás CubasMachado De Assis7h 39m4.4 (120.4K)$5 · $0.00
An Unpleasant Predicament: A Nasty Story (Unabridged) (Annotated)Fyodor Dostoyevsky4h 4m3.7 (6.6K)$2 · $0.00
Minding Miss MannersJudith Martin5h 30m4.1 (275)$17
The Correspondence of George Sand and Gustave FlaubertGustave Flaubert, George Sand13h 20m4.5 (391)$1 · $0.00
Elmer GantrySinclair Lewis15h 57m4.0 (14.6K)$25
The Collected Stories of Dorothy ParkerDorothy Parker8h 36m4.3 (13.6K)$1 · $0.00
The Descent of Man and Other StoriesEdith Wharton7h 1m3.7 (159)$2.30 · $0.00
Pieces of Hate; And Other EnthusiasmsHeywood Broun5h 16m$2 · $0.00
The RegentArnold Bennett8h 36m3.7 (489)$6 · $0.00
The Bibliomaniac (Annotated)Charles Nodier1h 43m$2 · $0.00
Every Man out of his HumourBen Jonson5h 1m3.0 (164)$2.30
Gullible's Travels, EtcRing Lardner3h 6m3.8 (83)$2 · $0.00