THE MAKING OF AMERICANS (Modern Classics Series) (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A History of a Family's ProgressBy Gertrude Stein
Length53h 10m
About this audiobook
Gertrude Stein's The Making of Americans is a monumental modernist chronicle of family, ancestry, repetition, and identity in the United States. Subtitled in effect as a history of "being" through generations, the novel follows the Hersland and Dehning families while gradually abandoning conventional plot for rhythmic classification, psychological observation, and recursive prose. Its style—insistent, experimental, and hypnotically analytic—places it at the center of early twentieth-century modernism, alongside the radical formal innovations of Joyce, Woolf, and Proust, yet with a distinctly American concern for types, origins, and self-invention. Stein, born in Pennsylvania and raised partly in California before settling in Paris, brought to literature a cosmopolitan sensibility shaped by psychology, medicine, art collecting, and avant-garde conversation. Her studies with William James and her immersion in Cubist aesthetics informed her fascination with consciousness, pattern, and perception. The Making of Americans reflects both her expatriate distance from America and her desire to anatomize its familial and cultural formations. This Modern Classics edition is recommended for readers prepared to encounter fiction as inquiry rather than mere narrative. Demanding but rewarding, it offers a profound meditation on repetition, personality, and the making of modern American selves.
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
GenreLiterary Classics, General Fiction
Length53 hrs 10 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateAug 17, 2016
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Great Expectations (Illustrated Edition) (Annotated)
185. (pt. 2)
2Introduction
195. (pt. 3)
3Synopsis
206. (pt. 1)
4Historical Context
216. (pt. 2)
5Author Biography
226. (pt. 3)
Show all chaptersShow less
61.
237. (pt. 1)
72. (pt. 1)
247. (pt. 2)
82. (pt. 2)
257. (pt. 3)
92. (pt. 3)
268. (pt. 1)
103. (pt. 1)
278. (pt. 2)
113. (pt. 2)
288. (pt. 3)
123. (pt. 3)
299. (pt. 1)
133. (pt. 4)
309. (pt. 2)
144. (pt. 1)
3110.
154. (pt. 2)
32Analysis
164. (pt. 3)
33Reflection
175. (pt. 1)
34Memorable Quotes
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