The Gorilla Hunters (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. Adventure Novel: A Tale of the Wilds of AfricaBy R. M. Ballantyne
Length10h 57m
About this audiobook
The Gorilla Hunters (1861) is a vigorous Victorian adventure romance that follows Ralph Rover, Jack Martin, and Peterkin Gay—the youthful heroes of The Coral Island—into the forests of equatorial Africa in pursuit of gorillas and other dramatic encounters. Written in Ballantyne's brisk, episodic style, the novel combines natural-history curiosity, comic dialogue, perilous action, and moral reflection. Its literary context is the nineteenth-century boys' imperial adventure tradition, and modern readers will also note its colonial assumptions and period attitudes toward Africa. R. M. Ballantyne (1825–1894), a Scottish writer and former Hudson's Bay Company clerk, drew upon his own experience of frontier life, travel writing, missionary narratives, and popular geographical knowledge. His fiction sought to instruct as well as entertain, shaping youthful readers through ideals of courage, comradeship, Christian duty, and practical resourcefulness. The Gorilla Hunters reflects both his fascination with remote landscapes and his era's appetite for exploration. This book is recommended for readers interested in classic adventure fiction, Victorian juvenile literature, and the cultural history of empire. Though best approached with critical awareness of its dated perspectives, it remains an energetic, revealing, and historically significant tale.
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★★★★ 3.8 (255)
Includes Goodreads
GenreChildren's Literature
Length10 hrs 57 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateNov 22, 2019
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Martin Rattler (Annotated)
2Introduction
3Synopsis
4Historical Context
5CHAPTER I. In which the hunters are introduced.
Show all chaptersShow less
6CHAPTER II. Life in the wild woods.
7CHAPTER III. Wherein I mount guard, and how I did it, etcetera.
8CHAPTER IV. Wherein will be found much that is philosophical.
9CHAPTER V. Preparations for a grand hunt.
10CHAPTER VI. Dreaming and feeding and bloody work enlarged upon.
11CHAPTER VII. We Circumvent the Natives.
12CHAPTER VIII. Peterkin distinguishes himself, and Okandaga is disposed of, etcetera.
13CHAPTER IX. I discover a curious insect, and Peterkin takes a strange flight.
14CHAPTER X. Water Appreciated—Destructive Files, Etcetera.
15CHAPTER XI. How We Met With Our First Gorilla, And How We Served Him.
16CHAPTER XII. Peterkin’s Schoolday Reminiscences.
17CHAPTER XIII. We get into “The Thick of it”—Great Success.
18CHAPTER XIV. Our Plans are Suddenly Altered—Wicked Designs Discovered.
19CHAPTER XV. An unexpected meeting—We fly, and I make a narrow escape from an appalling fate.
20CHAPTER XVI. An unfortunate delay, and a terrible visitor.
21CHAPTER XVII. We visit a natural menagerie, see wonderful sights, and meet with strange adventures.
22CHAPTER XVIII. Strange and terrible discoveries—Jack is made commander-in-chief of an army.
23CHAPTER XIX. Preparations for War, and Peculiar Drill.
24CHAPTER XX. A Warlike Expedition and a Victory.
25CHAPTER XXI. Arrangements for pursuing the enemy, and sudden change of plans.
26CHAPTER XXII. We Meet with a Ludicrously Awful Adventure.
27CHAPTER XXIII. We see strange things, and give our negro friends the slip.
28CHAPTER XXIV. A Long Chase, and a Happy Termination Thereof.
29CHAPTER XXV. I Have a Desperate Encounter and a Narrow Escape.
30Analysis
31Reflection
32Memorable Quotes
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