The Middle Parts of Fortune (Annotated)
Enriched Edition. A World War I Trench Novel of the Somme, British Infantry, and Front-Line RealismBy Frederic Manning
Length12h 17m
About this audiobook
The Middle Parts of Fortune is one of the most unsparing and artistically exact novels to emerge from the First World War. Centered on Private Bourne and his comrades in the trenches of the Somme, it rejects patriotic melodrama for a grave, intimate realism: barrack-room speech, fatigue, fear, loyalty, and the strange continuities of soldierly routine. Its style combines classical restraint with demotic immediacy, placing it beside the major modernist war narratives while preserving a distinctive moral clarity. Frederic Manning, an Australian-born writer educated in classical and theological traditions, brought to the novel both literary discipline and direct experience. Having enlisted in the British Army and served with the King's Shropshire Light Infantry, he knew the physical degradation and emotional austerity of infantry life. His own ambiguous position—cultivated intellectual, ordinary private, outsider within British ranks—helps explain Bourne's observant, solitary consciousness. This book is indispensable for readers seeking a profound account of war without rhetoric or consolation. It is recommended to those interested in modernism, military history, and the ethical pressures of comradeship under extreme conditions.
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
GenreAction and Adventure, Literary Classics
Length12 hrs 17 mins
Narrated byListen with 1,000+ voices
FormateBook with Audio
Publish dateDec 10, 2023
LanguageEnglish
Table of contents
1Introduction
8VOLUME II (pt. 1)
2Introduction
9VOLUME II (pt. 2)
3Synopsis
10VOLUME II (pt. 3)
4Historical Context
11THE END
5VOLUME I (pt. 1)
12Analysis
Show all chaptersShow less
6VOLUME I (pt. 2)
13Reflection
7VOLUME I (pt. 3)
14Memorable Quotes
More from Frederic Manning
CollateralBrian Andrews, Jeffrey Wilson13h 8m$23
War LordBernard Cornwell13h 21m$33 · $0.00
Something Like LoveBeverly Jenkins10h 21m5 (1)$29 · $0.00
The Newly Witch GameRobyn Peterman4h 39m$15
Louis L’Amour’s Trio of TalesLouis L’Amour2h 8m$10
Northern ShadowsDaniel Greene12h 52m$23
Jubal Stone: U.S. Marshal: Blood Trail To Hell: A Western Adventure NovelCasey Nash3h 42m$18 · $0.00
Sons of War Series Box SetNicholas Sansbury Smith49h 30m$40
Can’t Ride Around ItAnn Charles, Sam Lucky10h 13m$25
Punk’s FightWard Carroll10h 28m$20
The Labyrinth of the SpiritsCarlos Ruiz Zafon27h 55m$53 · $0.00
Once an EagleAnton Myrer41h 21m$40
The Count of Monte Cristo + The Three Musketeers + The Man in the Iron Mask (3 Unabridged Classics) (Annotated)Alexandre Dumas101h 51m$2 · $0.00
Sons of War 4: SoldiersNicholas Sansbury Smith, Tom Abrahams12h 54m$25
The Complete Novels (Illustrated Edition) (Annotated)Robert Louis Stevenson100h 59m$2 · $0.00
With Fire and Sword, The Deluge & Pan MichaelHenryk Sienkiewicz112h 55m$1 · $0.00
The Road to Gundagai (The Matilda Saga, #3)Jackie French12h 31m$33 · $0.00
The Skull of the WorldKate Forsyth10h 28m5 (1)$20
The Greatest Zane Grey WesternsZane Grey73h 15m$2 · $0.00
TimelessR. A. Salvatore12h 30m$33 · $0.00
Sherlock Holmes: The Ultimate CollectionArthur Conan Doyle59h 49m$5 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Fyodor Dostoyevsky: Novels, Short Stories and Autobiographical WritingsFyodor Dostoyevsky270h 59m$2 · $0.00
The Bark Canoes and Skin Boats of North America (Annotated)Howard Irving Chapelle, Tappan Adney13h 10m$2 · $0.00
Charles Dickens: Complete Works (Annotated)Charles Dickens819h 4m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Novels of Jane Austen & Brontë Sisters (Annotated)Jane Austen, Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë204h 15m$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works: Charlotte, Emily, Anne, Patrick & Branwell BrontëCharlotte Brontë, Anne Brontë, Emily Brontë138h 12m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Oscar Wilde (Annotated)Oscar Wilde126h 19m$2 · $0.00
L. M. Montgomery – Premium Collection: Novels, Short Stories, Poetry & MemoirsLucy Maud Montgomery155h 1m$2 · $0.00
MARK TWAIN: 12 Novels, 195 Short Stories, Autobiography, 10 Travel Books, 160+ Essays & Speeches (Illustrated)Mark Twain415h 9m5 (2)$2 · $0.00
The Complete Works of William ShakespeareWilliam Shakespeare89h 26m$3.50 · $0.00
The Great Gatsby: Original 1925 Edition (An F. Scott Fitzgerald Classic NovelFrancis Scott Fitzgerald4h 45m$18 · $0.00
The Brontë Sisters: The Complete Novels (Unabridged) (Annotated)Charlotte Brontë, Emily Brontë, Anne Brontë120h 3m$2 · $0.00
All NovelsGeorge Orwell53h 48m$10 · $0.00
The Complete Works of TolstoyLeo Tolstoy412h 44m$1 · $0.00
The Complete Works of Louisa May Alcott (Annotated)Louisa May Alcott226h 24m$2 · $0.00
Sherlock Holmes series - completeArthur Conan54h 8m$3.50 · $0.00
The Fire Next TimeJames Baldwin2h 25m$15
The Count of Monte Cristo (With Original Illustrations)Alexandre Dumas54h$1 · $0.00
The Complete Books of F. Scott Fitzgerald (all his 5 novels + all 4 short story collections published during his lifetime)F. Scott Fitzgerald87h 43m$1 · $0.00
Braving the TruthRachel Held Evans11h 31m$29 · $0.00
You may also like
A Blue Devil of France: Epic figures and stories of the Great War, 1914-1918Gustav P. Capart3h 12m$2 · $0.00
"I was there" with the Yanks on the western front 1917-1919Cyrus Leroy Baldridge35m$2.30
The Soul of the WarPhilip Gibbs14h 4m$2.30
A Farewell to ArmsErnest Hemingway8h 31m$4 · $0.00
"Contemptible", by "Casualty"Anonymous4h 23m$2 · $0.00
Grapes of Wrath (Historical Novel)Boyd Cable6h 7m$2 · $0.00
The Soul of the WarPhilip Gibbs11h 13m$2 · $0.00
Between the LinesBoyd Cable5h 40m$2 · $0.00
The Middle Parts of Fortune (Summarized Edition)Frederic Manning2h 55m$2
In the Firing Line, Stories of the War by Land and SeaArthur St. John Adcock4h 5m$2.30
The Ultimate BattleBill Sloan14h 8m$25
Under FireHenri Barbusse12h 45m$2.30
Between the LinesBoyd Cable6h$2.30
With my regiment : From the Aisne to La BasséeArthur Mills4h 39m$1 · $0.00
Shattered JadeLarry Alexander13h 34m$27
Brave MenErnie Pyle20h 3m$2 · $0.00
Bloody Beaches: The Marines at PeleliuGordon D. Gayle3h 37m$1 · $0.00
Under Fire (Historical Novel)Henri Barbusse13h 11m$2 · $0.00
The Great Gallipoli EscapeJackie French3h 19m$18 · $0.00
Hell or RichmondRalph Peters21h 54m$23